Financing the Green Economy in Developing Countries is a four-part session examining the current funding paradigm affecting emerging markets and how investors can fill the gaps in the decline of development assistance to achieve Green Economy goals.
Open Event
The Business Imperative for Sustainability: Panels, Discussions, and Networking Happy Hour
The Business Imperative for Sustainability is a multi-session event that brings together leaders from business, finance, and impact investing to explore how sustainability continues to drive corporate value and growth.
The afternoon and evening will feature a panel discussion with experts from consumer products, fashion, and banking, curated small group discussions on key sustainability topics, and a networking happy hour.
GloCha pre-UNGA Conference 2025 at the UN HQ NY – Local Action for Global Challenges & Emerging Technologies
The GloCha pre-UNGA Conference 2025 at UN HQ NY explores how emerging technologies, digital public infrastructure, and youth innovation can localize the SDGs and empower communities to tackle climate and global challenges. Convening UN, governments, innovators, and civil society, it fosters systemic solutions and partnerships for a sustainable and inclusive future.
“Plastics” Impact on Earth and Our Well-Being: A Global Call-to-Action to Protect Planet and Our Health
This event anchors a global gathering to bring a multi-stakeholder approach, including youth, from all corners of the world together to foster connections, share personal experiences, and explore potential collaborations.
It’s a space to exchange ideas, discuss shared goals, and uncover innovative ways to work together towards common objectives, such as eliminating plastics pollution.
Catalyst Now and UN SDSN are the event’s co-hosts. Together, we can co-design a plastic-free future!
Future of Investment Forum 2025
A number of deeply-rooted forces – megatrends – are driving fundamental changes within the investment industry.
Join Future of Investment Forum to explore how ongoing changes in the economy, society, and daily life can power growth for people and for planet.
Join us with the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania and JP Morgan for a series of presentations, showcases, and panels.
Inclusive career pathways: Celebrating diversity in the arts
The event will shine a light on the Opera House’s pioneering Workplace Readiness Program, which supports young people with intellectual disabilities making the transition to mainstream employment. This is your chance to hear directly from those close to the program about its early successes and lessons learned.
Solve Challenge Finals
On September 22, 2026, we will convene leaders in innovation and social impact for Solve Challenge Finals. This year’s event marks a milestone—10 years of Solve and 10 years of innovation. Amidst the start of the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week in New York City, we’ll announce the winners of the 10th Anniversary Global Challenge, award over $1M in prize funding, and set the stage for the next decade of impact.
GBBC’s 9th Annual Blockchain Central UNGA
Blockchain Central UNGA will bring together thought leaders and changemakers across blockchain, government, technology, and industry to examine how we can leverage blockchain-powered solutions to accelerate progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Creative Climate Forum
The Creative Climate Forum brings together artists, youth, educators, community members, and advocates to explore creative tools for a just and sustainable future. Learn how to dismantle broken systems and spark collective action toward regenerative futures through performances, panels, workshops, and immersive installations. Come activate the power of imagination and collaboration to respond to the climate crisis—together.
Enabling Social Innovation: Lessons from Governments Around the World
Drawing on nearly 30 jurisdictions across every region of the world, this session will launch a landmark study by Hogan Lovells, Cadwalader and the GCSI through a lively, in-person discussion. It will explore how governments are creating enabling environments for social innovation through legislation, national strategies, institutions, financing, public procurement and other policy tools, and what can be learned from approaches around the world.
UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2026
You are leading through unprecedented political, social and economic disruption, where commitments alone are no longer enough. As geopolitical pressures intensify, the UN Global Compact is here to equip you with the frameworks, partnerships and guidance to move from ambition to results.
At the Leaders Summit, join a global community of leaders for high-impact keynotes and action-driven sessions that sharpen your strategy, unlock business value and drive decisive action. Gain practical tools to manage risk, transform supply chains, shape markets and policy and mobilize capital for inclusive, climate-resilient growth, grounded in the Ten Principles and shared global goals. Connect with your peers, strengthen your leadership edge, and deliver the impact that this moment demands.
Clean Water Design Challenge 2026
Millions of people worldwide lack access to clean water. In this hands-on engineering event, student teams learn why water filtration matters and how it works and then design, build, and test their own water filter using only hardware-store materials. Teams brainstorm creative solutions, build prototypes, and compete to turn muddy water clear. This challenge connects to UN SDGs 3, 4, 6 and 14.
Launching The FoodSave Challenge: Global Youth Pitch-a-thon for Zero Waste Schools
Calling all student innovators! The FoodSave Challenge is a global pitch-a-thon launching alongside UNGA. Submit a 1‑minute video pitching your solution to cut school food waste. We’re building a youth movement to tackle waste head‑on. Win $250+ in prizes—and become a FoodSave Chapter founder in your city. No idea is too small. Join students worldwide. Deadline: Dec 23 2026. Submit your video and be the change. 🌍♻️ #FoodSaveChallenge
Global Goals Challenge 2026
The Global Goals Challenge invites young people ages 15 – 24 to become entrepreneurs by applying science, technology, and heart to tackle the world’s most pressing issues. Sponsored by Stanford University and Google for Startups, the Challenge is hosted by Global Citizen and Forum of the Future. The 2025 edition saw over 15,000 entries from 78 countries.
Youth Global Creative Challenge 2026
Sponsored by Netflix and Harvard University, the Youth Global Creative Challenge empowers young people aged 15–24 to articulate their ambitions through impact-led projects presented in compelling multimedia formats. Supported by Youth Studios, the Challenge recognises that influence-building is essential to turning individual ideas into generation-led action — enabling young creators to mobilise peers, shape public dialogue, and develop practical solutions to global challenges.
Is Leadership Development Philanthropy’s Missing Bet? A People First conversation on what it would take to make collective leadership development philanthropy’s priority.
As development aid declines and significant new private wealth is being created, philanthropy is entering a period of profound change. What would it take for philanthropy to invest more intentionally, and at greater scale, in the people, relationships, capabilities and shared leadership that make sustained progress possible?
We will bring together practitioners and philanthropy to explore what philanthropy and leadership development field may each need to do differently.
Science Across Generations: From Regional to Global Connectivity
On the occasion of the 2026 Science Summit, held alongside the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 81), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), together with its Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), will convene the second webinar of the Science Across Generations: A Dialogue Series, focusing on Chapter 1 of the Amazon Assessment Report 2025 (AR2025), From Regional to Global Connectivity.
Global Youth2030 Challenge
Co-sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and University of Pennsylvania, the Challenge invites young people aged 15–24 to submit a 1,000-word orally narrated video story inspired by real-world events which collectively advance the UN SDGs. Co-hosted by the Multi-Literacy Project, entries should dynamically shape the future direction of meaningful, inclusive youth engagement in decisions that align with UN’s Youth2030 strategy.
Impact State of Mind – Entrepreneur Day!
Join us in Midtown Manhattan for a day of programming designed specifically for entrepreneurs in climate, technology, and social impact.
Impact State of Mind is a groundbreaking initiative of Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area with leading partners Princeton University’s Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance, Finpublica, Sustainable Investment Leadership Council (SILC), and XPRIZE.
We’ve heard what entrepreneurs really want from an UNGA event and we’re taking action!
Impact State of Mind – Investor Day!
A full day of programming created for investors, funders, business leaders, and other adjacent stakeholders.
Impact State of Mind is a groundbreaking initiative of Impact Hub New York Metropolitan Area with leading partners Princeton University’s Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance, Finpublica, Sustainable Investment Leadership Council (SILC), and XPRIZE. This year’s content themes will explore sustainable finance, the economy of climate adaptation, carbon markets, AI and more!