Mexico Promoting Inclusive, Green Investment at Davos

Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has released details of Minister Alicia Bárcena’s agenda ahead of her participation in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. According to the ministry, Bárcena aims to attract transformative investment that supports Mexico’s growth objectives while ensuring socioeconomic inclusion and environmental protection.

Bárcena is attending the meeting at the instruction of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has tasked her with promoting Mexico as a regional benchmark for sustainable development among international investors, governments and multilateral organizations. Bárcena previously attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2025, making this year her second consecutive appearance in Davos as Mexico’s top environmental official.

A central priority for Bárcena will be attracting foreign direct investment, particularly in Mexico’s renewable energy, transportation, technology and ecological conservation sectors. The minister is expected to highlight the country’s Economic Development Poles for Well-Being (PODECOBIS) program, its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) and Plan México, a US$277 billion national development strategy announced by President Sheinbaum in January 2025.  

Within this framework, Bárcena will participate in high-level panels and closed-door dialogues addressing the transition to a low-carbon economy, the redesign of global value chains under circular economy principles and the need for ambitious, legally binding climate commitments. According to SEMARNAT, she will also hold bilateral meetings with representatives from international organizations, foreign governments, civil society groups, companies and investment funds.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the forum, Bárcena emphasized that sustainability is no longer a peripheral issue but a central pillar of Mexico’s economic narrative abroad. She said the government aims to demonstrate that environmental policy can coexist with competitiveness and industrial development. Mexico, she added, is seeking to align capital inflows with projects that reduce emissions, improve resource efficiency and protect ecosystems, while generating employment and local economic activity.

“For Mexico, it is very important to attract investment into our country and provide certainty that Plan México is truly a far-reaching strategy that links growth, social well-being and environmental care with PODECOBIS,” Bárcena said. She added that Mexico also seeks to highlight environmental priorities, “especially those related to the circular economy, ocean protection, the promotion of renewable energy and climate change. In that sense, our participation in this forum is key.”

The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting, taking place from Jan. 19 to 23, 2026, is expected to bring together nearly 3,000 participants from more than 130 countries, including heads of state and government, senior executives, international organizations and civil society leaders. This year’s meeting will be held under the theme “Spirit of Dialogue,” with discussions organized around five global challenges: cooperation in a fragmented world, unlocking new sources of growth, investing in people, deploying innovation responsibly and building prosperity within planetary boundaries.

Multilateralism in Crisis 

The WEF’s chosen theme — “Spirit of Dialogue” — seeks to underscore the importance of multilateralism following a year marked by setbacks in international climate cooperation. Shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement for a second time, a move that further undermined global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels — a threshold the UN has warned was effectively breached last year.

In August 2025, the United States was  among several oil-producing countries that blocked the adoption of a legally binding UN Global Plastics Treaty, which would have phased out petroleum-based plastics and introduced new extended producer responsibility requirements. Trump has also leveraged US economic and geopolitical influence to pressure other countries to weaken their climate commitments. His administration has pledged to impose tariffs and port fees on countries pursuing a global agreement to decarbonize shipping, while requiring trading partners to increase purchases of US oil and gas.

Meanwhile, for the first time in its history, the United States did not send a delegation to the COP30 climate summit in Brazil last year, despite still being formally a party to the Paris Agreement at the time. Although most participating countries supported stronger climate language, the COP30 final declaration omitted any reference to fossil fuels following strong objections from oil-producing nations. While the text cited the “UAE Consensus” adopted at COP28, which called for a transition away from fossil fuels, it introduced no new commitments or stronger provisions. The absence of the United States further amplified the influence of other major economies whose domestic priorities continue to constrain collective progress on fossil fuel phaseout.

In a further rebuke of the international climate governance system, President Trump ordered the United States to withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Jan. 7, 2026. Trump’s Executive Order 14199 also mandated the country’s withdrawal from 65 other international organizations — including 30 UN bodies and 35 non-UN entities — as part of a broader retreat from multilateral institutions linked to climate, energy and environmental policy. The decision made the United States the first and only country to exit the UNFCCC, the 1992 treaty that provides the legal and institutional foundation for global climate negotiations involving 198 countries.