Science for a Sustainable Future

The world is facing a multitude of crises and as COVID-19 has spread, it has underscored how interconnected our world is and the importance of science in ensuring a sustainable future. Tackling each of these crises requires scientific knowledge and expertise for diagnosing challenges and developing solutions. Stronger international cooperation and greater collaboration between policymakers and scientists are needed to mobilize science to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in every country. 

On October 8 2020, Springer Nature and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) with its Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS) will host a three hour virtual conference on science for a sustainable future. This global virtual conference will bring together policymakers, government representatives, UN officials, as well as leading scientists from around the world to discuss the role of science in achieving the SDGs.

Impact Storytelling: Empathetic Leadership, Social Justice & Advocacy

The scale of human suffering and injustice requires us to question our humanity. How did we get here? How have we normalized injustice towards the world’s most vulnerable? Where do we go from here?

As the world gather during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly and as partners to Global Goals Week, we invite you to join us to learn how to use transformative storytelling to shift the narrative and inspire action on critical social and political issues.

Through real-life stories of courage and purpose, Finding Humanity Podcast takes listeners into the heart of the most complex social and political issues facing our world. By bringing you voices from the front lines of war and injustice, we peel back the layers that surround today’s massive challenges to inspire the activist in each of us. Finding Humanity weaves insights from world leaders, human rights and development experts at leading institutions and United Nations officials, while providing listeners with tangible steps to make a difference. Finding Humanity is a joint production of the Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media. The inaugural season is made possible in part by The Elders.

Listen to the Finding Humanity podcast series.

Webinar & Masterclass: Business & Purpose

Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, many businesses have taken them to heart, moved away from traditional Corporate Social Responsibility, and moved toward a deeper purpose. As we enter into the Decade of Action, facing a global pandemic and increased social unrest, governments and nonprofits cannot reach these goals alone. It has never been more important for businesses to join the effort.

Hosted by Can & Will, the creative studio at the heart of social impact, this event is for small to medium sized business owners who want to use the power of their business platforms to create sustainable change within their own communities. Business owners will gain industry insights and tools for defining an authentic purpose by integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into their business practices and marketing strategies.

Webinar & Masterclass: Business & Purpose

Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, many businesses have taken them to heart, moved away from traditional Corporate Social Responsibility, and moved toward a deeper purpose. As we enter into the Decade of Action, facing a global pandemic and increased social unrest, governments and nonprofits cannot reach these goals alone. It has never been more important for businesses to join the effort.

Hosted by Can & Will, the creative studio at the heart of social impact, this event is for small to medium sized business owners who want to use the power of their business platforms to create sustainable change within their own communities. Business owners will gain industry insights and tools for defining an authentic purpose by integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into their business practices and marketing strategies.

Bursting the Climate Bubble: Building a Movement to Accelerate the Race to a Zero-Carbon World

Join a conversation with journalist Jo Confino and special guests, including Vice President Al Gore, on the importance of building a global movement in the race to a zero-carbon world. In this one hour session, we will hear about how to engage far greater numbers of people to help accelerate and mainstream solutions to the climate crisis. We will also highlight inter-linked global projects launching next month that aim to do exactly this.

Special guests include:

  • Former Vice President Al Gore on progress made in the last 15 years since Inconvenient Truth, and what he thinks needs to come next.
  • 19-year old Changemaker Melati Wijsen on what she has discovered about the youth movement and its impact, what drove her to become a climate activist, and her experience starring in the film Bigger Than Us.
  • Head of TED and founding partner of Countdown, Chris Anderson on why TED decided to move from “ideas worth spreading” into action – what he has personally learnt so far and how TED can make a difference.
  • CEO of Leaders’ Quest and founding partner of Countdown, Lindsay Levin on the power of collaboration and on how Countdown is working to accelerate change, focus on solutions, engage citizens and key stakeholders, and align with the COP26 agenda.

Spotlight On: Global Youth Climate Action

Young people from across the world have been stepping up to take climate action to protect their futures and the futures of generations to come.

Join our next Spotlight On webinar on September 24 at 11 AM ET to hear from four young people from Canada, India, and the Philippines on how they are using art, mobilizing the public, engaging with their governments, and creating businesses to fight the climate crisis.

This webinar is hosted by the Climate Reality Project, a climate change advocacy nonprofit dedicated to training and engaging climate leaders worldwide with the tools and network to fight for solutions and drive change planet-wide. Founded by former US Vice President Al Gore, our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society.

The Global Goals Studio: UNGA Week 2020

Global Goals Studio is an innovative, shared production space delivering programming to round-up key SDG headlines, developments and actions at UNGA across the following themes:

  • Equity in Global Health
  • Net Zero Carbon Economy
  • Gender and Racial Equality
  • Financing for Sustainable Development
  • Digitization, Innovation and Future of Work

Each day, the studio will serve as a landmark digital convening that will highlight key private, public and NGO voices on global issues, covering the priority themes of UNGA’s official agenda.

Watch live!

Climate Leaders Reception

Please join our 8th annual networking reception for invited guests of the climate community – this year for a special VIRTUAL edition during UNGA for Global Goals Week, Climate Week NYC.

We will be hosting an open conversation and networking reception in Emerald City, our new virtual immersive experience for our global community.

Global GoalsCast LIVE: UNGA Wrap Up

Join us for the first ever LIVE Global GoalsCast taping that will be a wrap up to Global Goals Week. Cohosts Claudia Romo Edelman and Edie Lush will be joined by special guests to share key learnings and recommended follow up actions after a week filled with international dialogues, proposed solutions, and calls to action across the 17 Sustainable Development goals and beyond.

The live recording will be followed by a high-level networking opportunity to encourage the creation of networks of support that will continue long past the week’s end.

Digitalization for the Decade of Action

Achieving SDG 16 through digital solutions to enable transparency and efficiency.

Technology has the potential to boost government efficiency, transparency, responsiveness, and citizen trust; it can enable the achievement of SDG 16 and can thus support all SDGs. However, the capacity to leverage technology for public sector transformation is uneven and challenged by the digital divide. This webinar will show good cases from the UN E-Government Survey 2020, and discuss how technology and the digital transformation can support the public sector and the achievement of the SDGs around the world.

Dine With Purpose: Food Systems (Panel & Cooking Demo)

A special event focused on the resilience of our global food systems and supply chains, hosted by AB InBev and the UN World Food Programme.

Panel discussion:

  • Dr Ute Klamert, Assistant Executive Director, UN World Food Programme
  • Rebecca Marmot, Chief Sustainability Officer, Unilever
  • Tony Milikin, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer, AB InBev
  • Vivek Bapat, Senior Vice President, Purpose and Brand Experience, SAP

And a discussion between:

  • Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Actress, Model and United Naঞons’ IFAD Goodwill Ambassador
  • Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Agricultural Economist and Director of IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division

Followed by a live cooking-demonstration with James Cathcart, Head Chef at London’s plant-based restaurant group, Farmacy.

#globalgoals #goalshouse

Shaping Peace

Peace Talks showcase the inspirational stories of people who are making positive contributions to peace. The Talks started in 2013 through the first ever Geneva Peace Talks.

Previous Peace Talks are available at www.peacetalks.net.

The event is organized by Interpeace in partnership with Salesforce, UN Office at Geneva and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform.

Achieving Food Security in Africa: The Role of Innovation in Smallholder Farming

Aimed at supporting the launch of the 2021 edition of the Accelerate2030 SDG venture scaling program, Impact Hubs in Africa will be hosting partners, investors, subject matter experts and entrepreneurs to an SDG 2-Zero Hunger-themed session titled “Achieving Food Security in Africa: The Role of Innovation in Smallholder Farming.”

Highlights will include the examination of the effects of AgTech in the areas of Production and Market Access.

Join us on September 24th for a 90-minute panel discussion and learn more about how open social innovation can contribute to effective pandemic responses.

Leave No One Behind: How Accelerate2030 Entrepreneurs Drive Sustainable Health Innovations

This session covers tangible health solutions by innovative businesses and experts that are at the centre of rebuilding a new economy, and demonstrates how entrepreneurs can move fast to bring their solutions to scale. This discussion includes entrepreneurs and partners from the global Accelerate2030 program, a global multi-stakeholder initiative with the mission to scale entrepreneurial solutions for the SDGs.

Inspirational speakers include entrepreneur Laura Mendoza from Mexico, cofounder of Unima, a biotechnology company focused in the development of fast and low cost diagnostics, as well as Roberto Figueroa, COO of Portal Telemedicina in Brazil, a telediagnostic platform that automatically transfers data across medical devices, allowing doctors to provide fast, low-cost, and online diagnostics, mitigating the uneven distribution of specialist doctors across emerging markets. Health innovation experts such as Pradeep Kakkattil, Director, Programme Partnerships and Fundraising at UNAIDS, will provide insight into the importance of collaboration across sectors in order to provide access to quality health services for all.

This event is featured at this year’s SDG Action Zone, the foremost collaborative space to supercharge & accelerate solutions for SDGs.

Join us on September 22nd to learn more about how health entrepreneurs are playing a vital role in achieving the progress towards the SDGs.

Be The One: Outrage To Action Masterclass

The Harvard-designed Outrage to Action: Adaptive Leadership and Change Management Masterclass equips current and emerging leaders with the mindset, frameworks, and tools to navigate uncertainty and lead systemic change on critical development and community challenges.

This high-impact Masterclass draws on real-life examples of current global issues to help leaders across diverse industries better understand how to navigate challenges to maximize their impact. The transformative training will cover leadership frameworks including: applied system thinking, adaptive leadership, authentic leadership, problem diagnostics, change management, behavioral insights, behavioral economics, challenging assumptions, and building strategic partnerships.

Together, we will explore new mental models and develop the grit needed to sustain the political and social pressures of creating change. The training is committed to unlocking the potential for bold leadership that the world desperately needs around the Sustainable Development Goals. As proud partners to Global Goals Week, and to further the commitment of the Humanity Lab Foundation to activate a global community around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Masterclass is offered free of charge and is accessible to all.

The Outrage To Action Masterclass is offered at various times for the duration of the United Nations General Assembly and Global Goals Week.

Dr. Jane Goodall: B-Well Together Wellbeing Break

Hear a discussion on the importance of forests to combat climate change and how you can join the trillion trees movement. Dr. Jane Goodall will be joined by Suzanne DiBianca, Chief Impact Officer & EVP, Corporate Relations of Salesforce for a fireside chat.

Advancing Ocean-Climate Solutions in the Arc Toward COP26

With a number of key moments to advance ocean-climate action on the horizon—including the U.N. ocean-climate dialogue in November 2020, the ongoing submission of NDCs, and the U.N. climate conference in November 2021 (COP26)—join us for a discussion on how countries can create a blue-green future.   

Climate change is the greatest threat to the ocean and the coastal communities that rely on its health. Yet the ocean is also a source of sustainable climate solutions. A comprehensive climate strategy will maximize ocean-based measures—from decarbonizing the shipping sector to protecting and restoring coastal blue carbon ecosystems—to complement the full suite of policies necessary to phase out carbon pollution and build climate resilience for frontline communities and ecosystems.  

Connected Future Series

This World Rhino day, NTT Ltd. will be celebrating Goal 15, Life on Land. Join NTT Ltd.’s CMO, Ruth Rowan and founder and Executive Chairman of the Connected Conservation Foundation, Doc Watson as they share the journey of this great initiative and what the future of proactive conservation can look like.