Onçafari at the 2026 World Economic Forum
The Schwab Foundation Award 2026 has selected Mario Haberfeld, CEO and founder of Onçafari, as one of 21 new members of the community of social entrepreneurs and innovators who will participate in the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum held from January 19th to 23rd in Davos, Switzerland. The Forum connects leaders from diverse pursuits, including government, business, civil society, academia, and culture, to explore how cooperation between the public and private sectors can help move the world forward.
In 2025, Onçafari received double recognition at the Social Entrepreneur Award 2025, promoted by Folha de S.Paulo, one of the most relevant third-sector awards in Brazil. Mario Haberfeld was named Social Innovator of the Year and Onçafari also won in the MobilizAção category, with the highest fundraising among the finalists. Photo: Ronny Santos/Folhapress.
Currently, the Schwab Foundation’s community of social entrepreneurs and innovators has 510 members who have positively affected the lives of more than 950 million people across 190 countries.
This year’s selection was based on transformative solutions to some of the world’s most urgent global challenges. The Award highlighted the resilience and innovative capacity of social entrepreneurs and innovators who, in the face of a landscape marked by uncertainty and disruption, not only adapted their operating models but also strengthened their commitment to lasting impact. Their achievements demonstrate that purpose-driven innovation can transform societies and build a more inclusive and sustainable future for all, said Hilde Schwab, co-founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Ms. Schwab also expressed pride in the Foundation’s role in supporting the growth and prosperity of this community.
Brazilian biodiversity conservation at the World Economic Forum
Onçafari is the only organization in Brazil and the only one focused on environmental conservation to be recognized in 2026. Onçafari will be represented by Mario Haberfeld at the World Economic Forum. He will present Onçafari’s mission and work in conserving Brazilian biodiversity with a focus on the role of ecotourism in protecting endangered species and on bold initiatives such as the Jaguar Rivers Initiative (JRI), the first continental wildlife corridor in South America.
The JRI is an international project launched in 2025 that brings together four South American organizations: Onçafari (Brazil), Rewilding Argentina, Nativa (Bolivia), and Fundación Moisés Bertoni (Paraguay). Its goal is to create a continental-scale ecological corridor along the Paraná River Basin. The initiative covers approximately 2.5 million km² and seeks to reconnect ecosystems, restore habitats, and ensure natural routes for wildlife across different biomes and countries.
The jaguar is the symbol and guiding thread of the initiative. Its presence signifies functional and healthy ecosystems making the species an indicator of nature’s recovery. Where jaguars live and move freely in their habitats, forests, rivers, and other forms of life also find the conditions needed to thrive.
Dialogue, collaboration, and exchange of perspectives
With the theme “Spirit of Dialogue,” the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting aims to promote engagement among participants around five central issues: geopolitics, growth, people, technology, and the planet.
The agenda will address the challenges of cooperation in an increasingly competitive and fragmented world; the need to unlock new sources of economic growth amid uncertainty and fiscal constraints; investment in people with a focus on reskilling, employment, and health; the responsible deployment of innovation and emerging technologies at scale; and the building of economic prosperity within planetary boundaries, reconciling development, nature, and climate.
The Schwab Foundation plays a vital role in convening and empowering social innovators by providing a platform that facilitates collaboration, learning, and visibility. The results demonstrate the Foundation’s impact: more than 80% of surveyed innovators report that the Foundation contributed to the development of their work and improved their systems thinking; over 70% credit the Foundation with enabling new partnerships; and half of respondents say that the support provided strengthened their operational capacity.
It is an honor for Onçafari to join the global community of social entrepreneurs and innovators of the Schwab Foundation and to take Onçafari’s mission even further, strengthening our commitment to the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity in a space of great relevance for international dialogue and coordination.
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