The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to postpone the tenth edition of the Future Investment Initiative conference, known as the “Davos in the Desert,” until 2027. This comes as the major global economic conference was scheduled to be held late this month in the city of Riyadh, but its activities were suspended due to escalating military tensions and recent attacks on the country.
Maha bint Mashari bin Abdulaziz, chief executive officer of the Future Investment Initiative Foundation, announced in an official statement that the decision to postpone the event stemmed from the foundation’s commitment to its international partners, members, speakers, and participants, and was also made to ensure that the tenth edition of the summit, under the theme “The Power of Legacy,” would be held in an unprecedented manner befitting the conference’s global standing. The foundation’s chief executive officer also noted that the new date for the meeting in 2027 would be announced soon and that all existing partnerships and registrations would remain valid.
The international forum was scheduled to be held from October 26 to 29, 2026, in the capital, Riyadh, but the decision to postpone it was taken as Saudi Arabia’s borders had been subjected in recent weeks to a dense wave of missile and drone attacks by Houthi militias (Ansar Allah); during these clashes, several sensitive civilian and military facilities and energy infrastructure, including the headquarters of the oil company Aramco and Riyadh International Airport, had been targeted.
