Collaboration across countries, areas of expertise and stakeholder groups is necessary to effectively address global risks. As one of the flagship reports of the World Economic Forum, the Global Risks report has been a collaborative effort since its first edition in 2006. Produced within the World Economic Forum’s forward looking networked think tank, the Centre for Global Strategies, the report is able to draw on unique expertise available within the different communities and the knowledge networks of the World Economic Forum as well as within the organization as a whole. 

The 2015 edition has established a Steering Board to provide strategic guidance as well as a high-level multistakeholder Advisory Board for advising on the methodology and the content of the report. The report’s corporate partners, academic advisors, and members of the Advisory Board contributed greatly to this endeavour. It also strongly builds on ongoing research, projects, debates and initiatives within the World Economic Forum. The insights presented here are the result of numerous discussions, consultations, and workshops and reflect the views of leaders from our various communities through the Global Risks Perception Survey.

With this in mind, I would like to thank our corporate report partners, Marsh & McLennan Companies and Zurich Insurance Group, represented on the Steering Board by John Drzik, President, Global Risk and Specialties, Marsh, and Axel Lehmann, Member, Group Chief Risk Officer, Zurich Insurance Group. Further, I am grateful to our academic advisers the National University of Singapore, Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford and the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

The report has also greatly benefited from the dedication and valuable guidance of the members of the Global Risks 2015 Advisory Board. Members are Rolf Alter, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Mario Blejer, Banco Hipotecario; Oliver Chen, Global Valuation, who represents the National University of Singapore; Megan Clark, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization; Marie-Valentine Florin, International Risk Governance Council; Julian Laird, Oxford Martin School; Pascal Lamy, Notre Europe – Jacques Delors Institute; Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Minister of Defence of Germany; Erwann Michel-Kerjan, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Moisés Naím, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Jonathan Ostry, International Monetary Fund; Manuel Pulgar-Vidal Otalora, Minister of Environment of Peru; Nouriel Roubini, New York University; Anders Sandberg, University of Oxford; Richard Smith-Bingham, Marsh & McLennan Companies; Michelle Tuveson, University of Cambridge; Margareta Wahlström, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction; and Steve Wilson, Zurich Insurance Group.

I am also grateful to Margareta Drzeniek Hanouz, Lead Economist and Head, Global Competitiveness and Risks, and the Global Risks 2015 project team members Ciara Browne, Jonathon Cini, Roberto Crotti, Attilio Di Battista, Gaëlle Dreyer, Caroline Galvan, Thierry Geiger, Tania Gutknecht and Cecilia Serin for their contributions to the report. 

Last but not least, I would like to thank the respondents that completed the Global Risks Perception Survey.