The 50th St. Gallen Symposium will focus on “Trust Matters”, exploring ways to preserve and strengthen institutional and inter-personal trust at a moment in time when it matters most.

Our anniversary theme will be explored throughout the year and at our main conference on 5–7 May 2021. By combining virtual and in-person dialogue, the 50th St. Gallen Symposium will once again bring together the world’s most brilliant young minds and current leaders from business, politics, academia, and civil society.

Now More Than Ever, Trust Matters

To trust means to rely on people, organisations, and institutions to meet their commitments, based on expectations of a trustee’s integrity and competence. Naturally, trust involves risks – as we take a leap of faith and make ourselves vulnerable to those we trust. When we trust, we engage in a confident relationship with the unknown.

As individuals, we couldn’t participate in society without extending trust to others or being trusted ourselves. Such inter-personal trust has a broader societal impact, facilitating well-being, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Institutions and organisations equally rely on external and internal trust to function properly and contribute to society – including companies, governments, the media, and the sciences.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that trust – in and between individuals and institutions – is necessary to deal with global challenges. Where trust in government and inter-personal trust have been high prior to the crisis, compliance with social distancing rules and other policies was higher, resulting in more effective crisis management. When democratic governments sought to use technology to support contact tracing, they found that a lack of public trust constrained their options. And for a strong economic recovery, as well as a roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines, trust in and between businesses, governments, and the sciences will be key.

Now more than ever, trust matters. In our individual and collective coping with the pandemic, we necessarily rely on the integrity and competence of governments, scientists, and doctors. Decision-makers themselves are acting on the basis of imperfect and constantly evolving knowledge about the pandemic and its consequences. Exploring what defines trustworthy leadership in this context of uncertainty and complexity, and finding ways to strengthen and sustain trust is essential. As current actions will significantly shape tomorrow’s world, the trust of younger generations in current leadership should be of equal concern.

The St. Gallen Agenda

The 50th St. Gallen Symposium will bring together leaders of today and tomorrow to reflect, and act, on “Trust Matters” in five main areas:

Resilient Health Systems: The Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that trust – in businesses, governments, and scientists – is fundamental to be able to take hard decisions and deal with global health challenges. As the crisis has revealed both their strengths and weaknesses, it’s time to ask how national and global health systems can emerge more resilient, reinforcing trust in the long-term.

Effective and Legitimate Governance: Public trust in government is one of the most important foundations upon which the legitimacy and sustainability of political systems are built – and recent months have been a make-or-break moment for political trust. Exploring what defines trustworthy and effective public leadership in the current of uncertainty and complexity, and finding ways to strengthen and sustain trust is essential.

A Sustainable Transformation: As climate change endangers their future, the trust of younger generations in current leadership is at stake. While climate action had initially lost momentum in light of the pandemic, its disruptive impact also presents opportunities for transformative change towards a sustainable economy. How may governments and businesses walk the talk of “building back better” and restore trust among younger generations?

Responsible Technology and Innovation: Technological innovation can be a key contributor to solving our most pressing challenges. To reap this potential for positive impact, societal trust in those who develop and market emerging technologies is key – but has been challenged in recent years. In what ways is technology enabling or replacing human trust? And how may the tech sector itself regain public trust?

A New Social and Generational Contract: Generalised, social trust is a fundamental element of social capital – and a key driver of solidarity among strangers, sustainable development, and well-being. But in our modern, multicultural societies, widening inequalities along generational and social lines have led to growing polarisation and social unrest. How can we reinvent the social and generational contract upon which mutual trust is built?

For more information, visit our topic page and follow #trustmatters on social media throughout the year.