El registro estará abierto de 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm en el Grand Hyatt New York. Todos los asistentes están bienvenidos a recoger sus pases en ese horario.
Una Recepción de Bienvenida del Concordia Africa se llevará a cabo de 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm en el Grand Hyatt New York. Esta recepción es solo con invitación. Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor envíe un correo electrónico a rsvp@concordia.net.
Welcome to the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit
To set the stage for the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit, Concordia co-founders Nicholas Logothetis and Matthew Swift will moderate an opening plenary panel with up students from NYU Abu Dhabi representing diverse geographical backgrounds to answer the question, “Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?” These student leaders will share perspectives on civil engagement, democracy, economic potential, and their outlook on the future as the rising group of next generation leaders.
Concordia is pleased to be hosting Governor Chris Christie and Concordia Leadership Council member Dr. Ian Bremmer for an expert discussion on the future of the United States' role in the world. Providing the perspective of the United States, Governor Christie will delve into the President Trump’s outlook on the world and how the President seeks to strategically position the US amongst its global competitors. However, Dr. Bremmer will use his unique knowledge of the world stage to elucidate the geopolitical conflicts impacting the US’ strategic interests. From the Middle East to the Far East, to political extremism in Europe, Dr. Bremmer and Governor Christie will find answers to questions such as: How has President Trump's approach to foreign policy impacted the global landscape? Is the US' trade war with China a boom or a bust to America's strategic role in the world? What does the now-open conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran mean for the future of the Middle East?
Michael Blake: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Despite women making up half the world’s population, women remain one of the greatest underutilized resources and continue to face significant barriers to full and free economic participation. Studies have found that when women participate in the negotiation of peace agreements, those agreements are 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years, and that if women participated in labor markets to the equal extent of their male counterparts, as much as $12 trillion could be added to global annual GDP by 2025. Global stability is only realized when women and men are able to participate economically and politically at all levels. In February 2019, President Donald Trump signed into action the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative. Led by the United States Government and W-GDP partners, the initiative is centered around women’s economic empowerment and aims to reach 50 million women by 2025 to boost women’s economic empowerment, collective economic prosperity, and global stability. This panel discussion will discuss the historic W-GDP Initiative and its three key pillars: Women Prospering in the Workforce, Women Succeeding as Entrepreneurs, and Women Enabled in the Economy as well as the intersection of gender rights within global agenda for sustainable development.
A new cyber ecosystem is emerging around us, 5G is more than a simple evolution of existing mobile broadband technology, but represents a fundamental change to the DNA of the Internet. Developed to provide more speed and power, 5G will create a mostly seamless, low latency, direct connection between our connected devices and the global Internet. Connectivity, speed, security and reliability are essential components of a functioning network that can power the Internet of Things and a robust economy. With the global race to 5G fast approaching, the individual citizens and organizations, as well as entire industries and countries will need to face, understand, and adapt to a whole new set of challenges around privacy, national security, and digital transformation that will be more complex than anything that’s come before. Adoption requires significant investment and collaboration between the public and private sectors to set smart policy that ensures data protection and allows for equitable access to the networks while at the same time stimulating innovation.
After transforming Pixar from a money losing graphics company to an entertainment powerhouse, a story Mr. Levy tells in his Amazon best-selling book To Pixar and Beyond, Mr. Levy set out to understand the correlation between prosperity and high levels of mental anguish. This led him deep into the world of eastern philosophy and the practices of the Tibetan meditation masters where he discovered answers to this quest. In 2003, he co-founded Juniper Foundation with his Tibetan Buddhist teacher Segyu Choepel Rinpoche in an effort to make these discoveries accessible in contemporary life. This proposed session will engage Mr. Levy in a conversation about his journey, covering topics such as the challenge of mental wellness in contemporary culture, insights on how today’s corporate culture and technology are affecting mental health, and how we might move humanity to a more harmonious, balanced, joyful way of living.
KPMG Global Chairman and Senior Partners for Healthcare, Government and Infrastructure, Dr. Mark Britnell has called the world to action around the looming question: How will we provide adequate healthcare for 8.5 billion people by 2030? Despite significant progress in mortality rates, life expectancy and communicable disease prevention - more than half the global population lacks access to quality, affordable healthcare. Further, a burgeoning workforce crisis threatens the industry’s overall sustainability, with global healthcare systems expected to face untenable staffing shortages by 2030. Current health services models are inadequate, inefficient and unsustainable - undermining a path to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as well as global economies, national wealth, and human prosperity writ large. In his most recent book Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare, Britnells argues that only by reimagining, reintegrating and reinvesting in the healthcare industry, can we combat this rapidly advancing cataclysm. This session will highlight Britnell’s insights around UHC and the workforce crisis in global healthcare systems, as well as the productive solutions he sees through value-based care, innovative training, national investment strategies, patient empowerment, and sustainable technology. As Britnell’s book “Human” points out, now is the time to move from planning to action – for health, for wealth, and for the economy.
Perspectives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Building Economic Prosperity by Creating Shared Value
From the C-suite to the mine to the farm, OCP has paved the way for women’s leadership and their critical involvement in agriculture. As part of its transformation strategy, OCP’s strong commitment to closing the gender gap and diversifying its workforce has successfully manifested in more than doubling the number of women in middle and senior level management from 14% to 31% in ten years -- well above the global average of 24%1. In Africa, women are the backbone of agriculture and food production but continue to face several constraints that reduce and limit their productivity. Ghislane Guedira, CFO of the OCP Group, will discuss the role of women and their leadership at OCP, and how a leading African company is committed to supporting this vital segment of the population in order to achieve gender equality and promote inclusive economic growth.
Economic Development as a Tool for Political Stability
International trade depends on robust investor protections while at the same time recognising the sovereign right of States to govern responsibly. This system is finely balanced and subject to disturbance, including by intimidatory State action directed at investors themselves. In this thought-provoking address, preeminent international lawyer and Concordia Leadership Council member, Cherie Blair CBE, QC, considers what is at stake when lawful business activity is criminally prosecuted, and how human rights can be used to protect investors when commercial disputes turn sour.
Technological Threats to National Security
Technological Innovation for Sustainability & Prosperity in the Czech Republic
The countries that have chosen to promote science, research and innovation as key national priorities are the now the countries leading contributors for global prosperity and sustainability. Recognizing this important trend, Czech Prime Minister, Adrej Babis, recently announced a bold national innovation strategy for 2030 that will double down on national digitization, smart infrastructure, startup ecosystems and national research and development in the Czech Republic and unlock a new era for Eastern Europe in the Fourth Industrial revolution. Developed in close cooperation with entrepreneurs, scientists, academics and representatives of the public administration, the national strategy sets out new priorities, which, if achieved, could put the Czech Republic among the most innovative countries in Europe by 2030. This session will explore the Prime Minister’s unique vision and priorities for his nation as a leader in the global knowledge economy, as well as share his insights around the industrial traditions, research background, and entrepreneurial skills of Eastern Europe. The Prime Minister will also discuss the critical intersection of next generation technology and innovation in supporting Trans-Atlantic cooperation and regional notoriety for a better global future.
a. 12:10-12:15 – 100 Years of Save the Children
Save the Children CEO Carolyn Miles will share the story of Save the Children, provide an overview of programs and priorities, and highlight the organization’s centennial.
b. 12:15-12:40 – Carolyn Miles and H.E. Filippo Grandi: A Future for Refugee Children
The world is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two—more people are fleeing war and persecution than ever before. More than half of all refugees are children, whose only chance for survival and a future relies on access to safety, education and a return to normalcy. In this fireside chat, Carolyn Miles, CEO of Save the Children, and Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, will discuss what children need to recover from conflict and how we get there. They will also explore how partnerships play a critical role in the solution. CNN analyst Samantha Vinograd will moderate the discussion.
As Sesame Street celebrates 50 years, the nonprofit organization behind the beloved children’s television show, Sesame Workshop, is launching the largest early childhood intervention in the history of humanitarian response. In partnership with the International Rescue Committee, BRAC, and others, Sesame Workshop will deliver early learning and nurturing care to millions of children affected by the Syrian and Rohingya refugee crises. Join us to learn more and to meet one of the new Muppets from Ahlan Simsim, a brand-new Arabic version of Sesame Street for children in the Syrian response region.
Recent research has concluded that state economies benefit significantly when they legalize the sale of medical and/or recreational marijuana; however, there is also the more subtle positive social impact that has been shown to occur. From health and wellness benefits to criminal justice reform and restorative justice initiatives, the legalization of marijuana can be a mechanism to improve lives and societies worldwide. In this fireside chat, Mark Zekulin, CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation, and Ryan Heath, Senior Editor for POLITICO, will discuss the socio-economic not only the potential benefits associated with the international advance of cannabis legalization, but also the investment landscape and potential risks associated in the global cannabis marketplace.
Digitization has completely altered the way societies communicate and how political opinion-making is shaped. But Foreign interference, data leaks on social media platforms and spreading populism across the globe have made it more important than ever to define a global rule-based system and code of conduct that sets a common standard and protects democratic elections. Germany’s leading Start Up for Digital Political Communications will give a short overview on where the debate stands and what needs to be done now to secure democracies in a technology and data-driven world.
Powerful technology tools have become formidable weapons. Microsoft President Brad Smith’s account from inside one of the world’s biggest tech companies addresses some of the thorniest issues of our time.
A Conversation with Tom Donohue
One of the foundational beliefs propelling the internet age is the idea that connectivity can transform how societies organize their work, knowledge, and leisure. As we continue to generate and exchange vast troves of data—and improve our ability to analyze it with artificial intelligence—the next phase of the digital revolution will depend on ever-greater speed, security, and reliability. These features are central to the 5G networks being built around the world today. With 5G, the promises made at the dawn of the internet age will become a reality; from connected vehicles and infrastructure to precision healthcare and agricultural services, our physical and digital environments will converge in ways that create as many new economic opportunities as they do risks to individual citizens, businesses, and national governments. This discussion will focus on how governments and industries around the world can work to address the potential threats associated with emerging 5G networks and technologies while still reaping the benefits of the next wave of global innovation.
Development finance is one of the most efficient and viable forms of aid and ensuring long-term stability. With the passage of the Better Utilization of Investment Leading to Development, or BUILD Act, and the creation of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the United States has an opportunity to craft the most effective tools for responsible development and economic stability. This session will elevate Mr. Bohigian’s insights and expectations for the new DFC agency and the role of innovation, creativity and determination in the United States’ ability to achieve positive impact and empower local economies in the developing world.
Advancing female equality could add an additional 12 trillion dollars to the global GDP by 2025, according to a McKinsey Global Institute study. Operating in nearly 40 markets around the world, Mary Kay represents millions of female entrepreneurs and is now further elevating its commitment to investing in women through a global, partnership based accelerator. Mary Kay’s Chief Operating Officer, Deborah Gibbins, will launch the Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator, a ten-year initiative led by UN Women in consultation with six United Nations agencies, and seeded by Mary Kay with the goal to inspire, educate and nurture female entrepreneurs everywhere.
In a fireside chat session, Colombian President Iván Duque and Howard G. Buffett will discuss private capital and public policy levers that support a sustainable peace, as well as how the Howard G. Buffett Foundation is elevating its investments in Colombia’s agriculture industries in line with the country’s peace process. It will serve as a direct, public conversation about the importance of blended finance projects to Colombia’s future serving as a powerful platform to showcase Mr. Buffett’s commitment to the region with the goal of catalyzing additional strategic philanthropy and investments into post-conflict environments.
Matthew Swift, Chairman & CEO of Concordia, presents the Concordia Leadership Award
Technology promises to change the way we live in fundamental ways. The question is whether it will be used to empower us or oppress us. How do we ensure that it is the former, and not the latter? Massive technology transformation is creating new opportunities and new dangers for mankind. Will a new era of innovation empower free citizens across the world like never before, or will it grow the power of government, business and institutions at the expense of the individual? Change is forcing us to ask questions about who we are and where we want to be as our civilization accelerates toward ubiquitous technology. The public and private sector will play a critical role in shaping the future. How they partner together to engage citizens, customers, and communities across the world in this journey will determine our collective success in creating a future grounded in fundamental human values, and one worthy of our children and grandchildren. Technology may change but our unalienable rights do not.
Presenting the Concordia Leadership Award
Head of State Address: Prime Minister Al-Sarraj of Libya
Digital Technology to Combat Deforestation
Small states have a number of tools, avenues, and abilities to influence international affairs, yet conventional thinking often emphasizes the limitations of power and influence rather than identifying the potential for inclusive dialogue. The remnants of Cold-War bipolar and post-Cold War unipolar mentalities when domination of great powers, especially in direct bilateral relations between great powers and small states, was largely unquestioned. In an increasingly multipolar world, bilateral relations and alliances exist in a more nuanced context of regional and multilateral relations, where global and multilateral institutions provide possibilities for both collective power and legitimacy, and many small nations have specific and unique assets, capabilities, and strategic positioning at their disposal. This panel will discuss those changing and often-overlooked capabilities, as well as existing constraints, to consider how small states could – and should – exercise influence in the global arena.
Remarks from Senator James Risch
Accessibility and inclusivity are not just the buzzwords of the day in socially conscious marketing departments, but are very real issues that affect countless people, especially children, across the globe in both obvious and subtle ways. Across sectors, design developers and content producers should be thinking outside the box on what is “normal” and how to push the boundaries of what is functional and marketable while never forgetting the individuals underpinning this demand. This conversation will explore how Jordan Reeves, a 13-year-old girl who caught the world’s attention when she created at 3D printed purple prosthetic arm that shot glitter, and her non-profit group Born Just Right partnered with Mattel’s Barbie to design a prosthetic limb for a doll. This year, Barbie introduced dolls reflective of permanent disabilities, including a doll with a prosthetic leg and a wheelchair into their Fashionista line, opening avenues for children around the world to find a doll that speaks to them.
Global health and economic empowerment are inextricable, making women’s health a priority matter for the private sector. The Partnership to End Aids and Cervical Cancer serves as an important example of how the strategic coupling of women and adolescent girl’s health with economic empowerment and capacity building has resulted in stronger societies across Africa, according to both economic and health indicators. This panel will discuss how partnerships targeting the health and empowerment of young women have led to a positive return on investment for both the private sector and the American public, where PPPs/P3s have created an enabling environment for impact at scale, as well as exploring how data serves as a driver of policy and process across all sectors.
Diplomacy in the World's Hotspots: Stories from the Trump Trenches
Invitation Only
Held in collaboration between Concordia, Women Political Leaders and the Council of Women World Leaders, the Women Lead Reception at the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit to honor and connect global female leaders from all sectors, industries, and backgrounds present in New York for the 2019 UN General Assembly and surrounding events. The event will feature a number of high-level women, including current and former world leaders, corporate leaders, and nonprofit/policy leaders.
Guests of Honor:
- H.E. Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland
- H.E. Dalia Grybauskaite, Former President of Lithuania
- H.R.H. Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the U.S.
- Ms. Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
- Hon. Jane Harman, Director, President, and Chief Executive Office, The Wilson Center
- Ms. Sharon Thorne, Global Chair, Deloitte
- Ms. Morgan Ortagus, Spokesperson for the United States Department of State
Whether driven by concerns over the environment, nutrition, global food shortage, or non-communicable diseases, consumers and food companies are increasingly moving towards plant-based foods. According to Fortune Business Insights, plant-based protein supplements market is on track to reach a valuation of US$ 7.38 Billion by the end of 2025. As of 2017, its current market value is US$ 4.16 Billion, indicating an impressive compound annual growth rate of 7.48% over a short eight-year period. Is this a trend, or the future of food? This strategic dialogue will gather industry experts, researchers, food policy regulators, investors, and advocates for a discussion on the most promising mechanisms of increasing adoption, industry trends & forecasts, and opportunities not yet uncovered. The discussion will also tackle misnomers, myths, and unintended/unforeseen negative consequences associated with a global shift to plant-based foods, and end with the goal of putting forth realistic and well-founded policy recommendations that work for a diverse global community.
Africa represents the fastest growing and youngest population, but as a continent, it faces challenges around industry growth, capacity building, and attracting long-term sustainable investment. System inefficiencies must be addressed to effectively and equitably manage this population surge, to include harnessing the power of the diaspora, identifying local solutions to contextual challenges, leveraging dynamic opportunities within the global economy, and strengthening coordination within the entrepreneur-investment value chain. This programming will build on prior Partnership Accelerator initiatives held throughout 2019 with the aim of uncovering models that have proven effective, shaping youth and employment-oriented policy, and spurring investment in leading interventions from across the continent.
One hundred years ago, Save the Children was founded by Eglantyne Jebb, a visionary who fought to save children whose lives were devastated by World War One. Jebb believed that all children have the right to be healthy, educated and protected. Progress has been made, but today, at least one in five children in the world are still suffering the unacceptable impact of conflict. If the world is to achieve Jebb’s vision and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in the next decade, we must collectively ensure children in crisis are protected. While our political leaders have a responsibility to uphold laws and promote peace, NGOs and businesses play an equally critical role in bringing their knowledge, skills and resources to bear to protect children and help them rebuild their lives. Children are resilient but must be given the education, mental health, and psychosocial support, and other programs they need to recover and look to the future. Save the Children and Concordia will examine the importance of public and private sector programming, strategic partnerships, and the need for greater investments and advocacy for children in crisis.
National and local governments, led by digital service teams formed to promote government use of technology to better serve citizens, are increasingly becoming incubators for technology driven innovations and data driven policy reforms. In some instances this has led to cost savings, efficiency, and effectiveness in policy implementation. In other instances, it has led to security breaches, frustration, and increased skepticism from the public around governments’ ability to leverage technology. It has also shifted the dynamic of employment and retention between public and private sector. The ability to work within and alongside governments while using modern, agile methods has resulted in public, private, and civil society stakeholders collectively coming together to continue to push for adoption of modern service delivery methods in government. At this year’s Concordia Summit, leaders from digital service teams exhibiting early leadership around the world will gather with civil society leaders in the sector to discuss where the government digital service delivery movement is headed next, and how stakeholders and partners can help get it there faster.
Invitation Only
This session will bring together organizations who exemplify hands-on experience with partnership building structured to create enduring economic and social value. Participants will discuss best practices and practical experiences related to several common challenges with partnership, first through a showcase of the 2019 P3 Impact Award Finalists and then a group discussion on the mechanics behind partnership building. The full session will address questions such as: What allows partnerships to be sustainable and scaled? What are key governance and organizational features of successful partnerships? And, under what circumstances can partnerships address social issues at scale?
P3 Impact Award Judges will deliberate their decision following this session, with the results being announced on the plenary stage the following day. Immediately following this session, audience members will have the opportunity to vote on the Audience Choice Award for the P3 Impact Finalists.
The Private Sector increasingly relies on innovative partnerships to address business challenges as well as demonstrate positive impact, but the act of partnership is not without its internal and external challenges. This panel will highlight findings from a recent study conducted by IREX and the Brookings Institution, coupled with experiences from CEOs at global companies, and present specific challenges that must be mitigated if partnerships will continue to be pursued as a viable method of engagement.
For the past years, Venezuela has been immersed in a political, economic and humanitarian crisis, deeply affecting the wellbeing of its citizens and bringing instability to the region. Disease, hunger, electricity shortages and repression are part of the everyday lives of Venezuelans, forcing millions to flee to neighboring countries and abroad. A solution to this tragedy is imminent, and only coordinated assistance from the international community will alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people. This session will discuss how the public and private sectors can align their support to address the urgent humanitarian crisis.
Remarks from Dana Bolden
Food systems – they’re the issue of the moment and virtually everyone agrees that they’re broken. Over 800M people are chronically hungry. Over 2 billion are overweight or obese. Roughly a third of food is lost or wasted. And our food systems tax the planet’s resources and contribute to climate change. As much as a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions are from food systems. There exists an imperative to transform food systems in the face of hunger, malnutrition, environmental degradation, and climate change. The reality of food systems is a reality of deep, systemic inequality – particularly for women. So how do we fix what seems like such an enormous challenge? This plenary will bring together diverse stakeholders from the private sector, the UN system, and the NGO community to unpack this question and dig deeper into what broken food systems mean for the lives and livelihoods of people, especially women and girls, living in poverty, as well as explore opportunities for leaders, food-system actors, and cross-sector collaborations to transform food systems and advance the work and prosperity small-scale women farmers.
The P3 Impact Award was created by Concordia, the University of Virginia Darden School Institute for Business in Society, and the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships to recognize and honor leading public-private partnerships (P3s) that improve communities and the world. Inaugurated in 2014, the P3 Impact Award is presented each fall at the Concordia Summit in New York, New York. The award seeks to highlight leading practices and actionable insights in the P3 arena. For this award, a P3 refers to any cross-sector collaboration that features public, private, nonprofit, or non-governmental organizations and addresses societal problems. The P3 Impact Award (as determined by 5 independent judges) and the P3 Audience Choice Award (as determined by Concordia attendees via a voting app) will be announced on Tuesday, September 24th (time TBD).
Sport's Transformational Power: The First FIFA World Cup in the Middle East
The global community faces a $2.5 trillion funding gap to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) by 2030. This isn’t necessarily due to a lack of capital, but instead, a robust mechanism for linking these private dollars to viable projects. The World Wildlife Fund’s award-winning Panda Labs alongside ConsenSys have been working on an innovative new blockchain solution where projects can secure funding at scale to help solve the world’s most pressing conservation, environmental and societal issues. Joseph Lubin, Founder of ConsenSys and Co-founder of Ethereum will join Kavita Prakash-Mani, WWF’s Global Conservation Director on stage to discuss ways in which collaborative governance mechanisms can enable subject matter experts to curate the most effective projects, and match them with Funders and investors to bring the solutions to life.
Climate change is driving far-reaching and irreversible environmental degradation resulting in economic pressure and social unrest. A society afflicted with climate change leaves us at the mercy of unforeseen natural disasters, all of which translates into business and financial risks. The scientific consensus is that reaching net zero emissions is a critical step in ensuring the continued habitability of the planet. While reaching net zero emissions will require a wide network of stakeholders taking action, mobile technology is uniquely positioned to not only affect change but lead this effort due to it’s scale, adaptability, and ever-increasing utility across sectors. Alongside the Climate Week, join our VIP speakers to hear how the mobile industry is taking action to get to net zero emissions.
Beth Doane, in her decade advising CEO’s, governments and global non-profits, has emerged as a leading global expert on how technology, innovation and work habits of the 21st century have sparked an unprecedented increase in anxiety, depression, and even suicide. In this informative and profoundly inspiring talk, Beth lays out a roadmap for navigating mental health struggles in the modern business environment for the top thinkers and doers today. She expertly draws on the latest neuroscience and mental health data and emerging theories on technology and mental health -- as well as her own deeply moving personal experiences.
Presenting the Concordia Leadership Award
Discussing transportation with Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi
Moderated by Armand Arton, founder and president of Arton Capital, which empowers The Passport Index, this panel will explore the history of travel documents and the benefits of having a strong passport. Discussion points will include: The transformation of the passport from a travel document to a powerful policy and economic tool; The positive correlation between the high mobility ranking of a passport and the economic development of the country it is representing; The economic progression a country is experiencing when a passport’s mobility ranking increases; The extent to which the above is acknowledged by governments and what are the various strategies each is implementing in this regard.
A response to the U.S. Presidential Address at UNGA
Entrepreneurs aren’t geographically limited to Boston, New York, or the Bay Area. Why, then, should over two-thirds of capital flow be concentrated within these 3 cities? By focusing capital investment in innovative companies across the United States, Revolution has gone against the grain and adopted an ethos of a hands-on interpersonal relationship between partners and entrepreneurs. This fireside chat with Revolution Chairman and CEO Steve Case will focus on the potential of cities outside of the typical coastal tech hubs to drive innovation and opportunity on par with more traditional investment centers, and highlight successes that showcase why that’s a good thing for America’s economic growth.
With a global political, social, and economic situation like the one we have nowadays, where there are the various interests and important differences between all sectors, investor confidence in developed or emerging markets are highly affected. Diverse political tensions in various regions of the world have made some sectors optimists about the future economy and to some other sectors, very pessimists. This market volatility allows many political visions to take advantage of the situation to promote their economic speeches, thus generating a vicious circle where political and economic stability drifts. This session will focus on the opportunities and risks present when investing in markets during a highly skewed political landscape and far from reaching a consensus.
The CEO of MCC, Sean Cairncross, will talk about baseball. That might seem like an unexpected topic for the CEO of an agency focused on poverty reduction, but the two have at least one thing in common—they have both been transformed by data and analytics. Baseball is a human game, and because of that, it is easy for emotions to affect the way decisions are made. But in baseball, if you want to win, you have to make decisions with your head instead of your heart, and that means looking at the data. The same thing is true about working to reduce global poverty. Making feel good decisions doesn’t always ensure the most effective results—data does. If we want to win the fight against poverty, we should let our emotions spur us to action, but when it’s time to make decisions, we should look to the data. In 2004, the U.S. Government decided we needed to do the same thing in the fight against global poverty. We needed an agency that wouldn’t just conduct business as usual, but would implement U.S. foreign development aid the followed the data, wherever it led. The result was the creation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
A conversation with David Rubenstein & Daniel Lippman
More than 18% of the United States population is Hispanic and yet in 2019 we've seen an uptick in anti-Latino sentiment, and humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, mass shootings and mass ICE raids targeting the community, and a culture of fear created against an entire group of people. There are, however, a number of solutions, new programs and initiatives that can and should be implemented to shift the tide. This panel comprised of all Latina cultural and social leaders will address the most pressing issues facing the Latinx community in the United States, including migrant detention centers, human rights/dignity at the border and U.S. moral authority while pointing to what's needed next in order to build a better country where we are all valued and offering a new strategy for widespread allyship as related to these issues.
Sustainability with Purpose
In March 2018, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, made a global Call to Action for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in all healthcare facilities. Since then, the countries’ commitment to this pledge has only intensified. According to the World Health Organization, 896 million people use health care facilities with no water service and 1.5 billion people use facilities with no sanitation services. While those responsible for health services and for WASH infrastructure come together to establish and maintain these services in healthcare facilities, the public and private sector, civil society, NGOs, universities, media, and others, will play a critical role to accelerate that progress and ensure that all healthcare facilities throughout the world achieve access to basic WASH services. This discussion, supported by the United Nations Office for Partnerships and lead by the First Lady of the Republic of Colombia, María Juliana Ruiz Sandoval, will focus on all the needs, barriers, and opportunities that countries throughout the world have to ensure these services and how the collaboration between all stakeholders, public or private, are needed to achieve this goal, which is the focus of SDG 6.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has undertaken a major cultural and operational transformation to enhance true collaboration with the private sector. In this presentation, USAID Administrator Mark Green will outline the burgeoning new relationship between private enterprise and the development community, and how the Agency is embracing the creativity and entrepreneurship the private sector brings to the table. The presentation will be followed by a conversation between Administrator Green and Dina Powell McCormick, Managing Director and Member of the Management Committee, Goldman Sachs.
On July 12, 2019, President Gitanas Nauséda was sworn in as the 6th democratically elected president o f Lithuania, in his historic inaugural address the President asked his country: “We have built a nation that today enjoys one of the most successful and economically advanced times in its history. But why, then, do many of us have this feeling that we have left something behind as we go forward? Why is it that statistics and personal well-being are moving separately? How is that while discussing a two-speed Europe, we failed to notice that we created a two-speed Lithuania?” This plenary address by President Nauséda will expand upon his new vision for Lithuania and the increasing priority and potential of a realized welfare state in national agendas in the digital age
During the 2019 fiscal year, the World Bank mobilized over $14.4 billion in Latin America and the Caribbean region in order to support sustainable development and poverty reduction. Yet with the initial warning signs of a potential slowdown in the global economy, Latin America is particularly at risk for the effects of a recession. From the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis, to Argentina’s economic crisis and Central American instability, local crises in the region will only be exacerbated by global economic threats like the trade war between the US and China. All of these issues have a direct implication over the implementation of social programs and decrease the ability of governments to accelerate their economies and also support the regional sustainable development and poverty reduction. This session, moderated by Gerard Baker from the Wall Street Journal, will have the insights from Iván Duque, President of the Republic of Colombia, and David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, where they will discuss economic risks for both Colombia and Latin America more broadly and about how the financial markets across the region see the future.
The Creative Economy -- representative of upwards $4.2 billion USD -- is leveraging dynamic creative industries like media & film, fashion, and art to create economic opportunity and spur community development across Africa. This session will announce the new UN Environment (UNEP) Supporter for Environment- Creative Economy, a Goodwill Ambassadorship, Roberta Annan (Founder, Impact Fund for African Creatives, a Concordia Patron Member).
Hygiene and Nutrition, two of the most significant problems for the developing world, are linked and can jointly deliver huge health and economic outcomes. Globally, over 5.4 million children under the age of five die annually. Poor nutrition causes over half of these deaths – roughly 3.1 million children each year – and poor hygiene accounts for about one-fifth of these deaths – roughly 1.2 million children each year. Further, lack of handwashing leads to diarrhoeal diseases, which in turn limit the body’s ability to absorb nutrition from food and up to 50% of malnutrition is the result of poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices. Businesses have an integral role to play in forging innovative partnerships that deliver better health outcomes for society through addressing hygiene and nutrition issues.
At Concordia Annual Summit, Lifebuoy, Unilever’s health soap brand, and The Power of Nutrition, an independent charitable foundation seeking to catalyze investment in life-saving nutrition programs, will showcase how a new and innovative partnership is combining behaviour change for nutrition, hygiene and handwashing as a key tool to tackle undernutrition in India. In this intimate, plenary discussion executive leadership from Unilever and the Power of Nutrition, will discuss how silo-based work in the development sector has long hampered progress towards the 2030 SDGs and how a simple phone call can bring together social innovators, impact investors, humanitarians, and global philanthropists in a Health and Nutrition cross-sector partnership that has the potential to save millions of lives in rural communities and beyond.
In this fireside chat, Activist and Founder of I Weigh Jameela Jamil will discuss how to mobilize activism in the fight for gender equity. Amplifying the voices of activists from across the globe, I Weigh has inspired industry policy change to legislative action and continues to fight for a gender equal world. Jameela will also dive into the representation of gender in the media and how, by perpetuating stereotypes, we have created a pandemic of diet culture that is affecting the mental health and livelihood of our youth.
The U.S. is experiencing the worst drug crisis in its history; over 70,000 Americans died in 2017 from a drug overdose alone, with synthetic opioids involved in two-thirds of those overdoses. Almost all of the illicit drugs causing the unprecedented rise in American deaths and overdoses are produced outside the United States. Drug abuse, illicit drug production, and drug trafficking are pressing threats to global security and global health and addressing this crisis cannot be the responsibility of one nation alone. In order to achieve sustainable long-term solutions to the security challenges presented by the illicit drug trade, both the public and private sector must come together to reduce drug supply and demand, expand drug treatment, and increase international cooperation. This session will highlight the U.S. Department of State’s global efforts through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to combat synthetic drug trafficking globally. Further, this panel will explore how new technologies and public private partnerships can be deployed to advance transnational, counter-narcotic strategies and best practices.
Rapid advancements in technology are continuously altering the outlook for our workforce. But the future of work is not being impacted by automation alone; globalization, urbanization, an aging population, and the rise of the green economy are just a handful of the other key trends shaping the job market. This intimate conversation will provide an insight into Walmart’s recently-launched report, released in collaboration with Business Fights Poverty, on how employers can best provide jobs along the full skills curve, taking into account these trends. Crucially, it will also explore how businesses, both domestically and globally, can ensure that they are adequately prepared for a smooth transition to the future of work.
In recent years, Regional Development Banks have been caught between a rock and a hard place: increasing mandates and stagnating resources. The mandates and operations of these institutions have evolved and expanded into a growing ‘to do’ list coupled with higher expectations and flatlining budgets.
This panel discussion seeks to hear directly from the leaders of two of the largest Regional Development Banks in the world -- the Inter-American Development Bank and the African Development Bank -- on how they are paving their path forward in the years to come. In particular, this session will seek to address not only the future of each respective institution, but also how they each deal with corruption within their member countries, the increasing role of China in development finance, and how they deal with international crises.
President Tshisekedi addresses the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit.
Tech entrepreneurs and e-commerce companies have had a major increase in the last 5 years. It’s been estimated that the e-commerce sales will account for 17.5% of the total global retail sales by 2021. In Latin America, Brazil is the region’s largest retail market, accounting for approximately 34% of all regional retail sales. SoftBank Group has bet in the Latin American region by investing $110 million in a Brazilian e-commerce company, which focus is to develop technology, boost logistics and improve the customer experience. SoftBank has also doled out more than $1 billion investing in companies like Rappi, Gympass and Volanty. With this in mind, Marcelo Claure, COO of Softbank, will participate in a Fireside Chat that will focus on the interests of funding companies to invest in Latin America and also on explaining which is the future of e-commerce and its potential, to be able to see a prospective future of commerce around the world.
This Strategic Dialogue session seeks to explore executive leadership’s role in driving the creation of multi-stakeholder frameworks for sustainability, supply chain transparency, and consumer business responsibility. The session will serve as an incubator for a global conversation on how societal impact has become an integral element of strategy formulation and value creation for businesses and investors alike, as concept advanced by BCG through its total societal impact lens.
Digital technology contributes significantly to our society, delivering live-enhancing services to people of all backgrounds in all corners of the world. With almost the entire world’s population living within the range of a mobile network, mobile technology has enormous potential to include historically alienated populations in the digital economy. While leaving no one behind remains a core priority, without strong leadership from the private sector and cooperation across sectors and regions, there remains the risk of digital technology creating new forms of exclusion. As we enter the fourth industrial revolution, this conversation of business leaders will seek to create a roadmap for mobile technology business that promotes continued growth and success in ways that also seeks a better, more inclusive future for their consumers and societies.
Innovative financing can unlock whole-of-society solutions towards achieving the SDGs, but it has not yet succeeded at the scale and rate required. Enhanced efficiency in funding scalable projects, brought forth via multi-sectoral dialogue, the public mapping of viable financing opportunities, and the creation of a universal agenda for investing groups, is essential for effectively leveraging innovative financing. This Strategic Dialogue will feature representatives from global development finance industries, state & private actors leveraging blended finance to achieve impact goals, and participants within the Concordia Innovative Finance Coalition reacting to specifics project frameworks shaping global, regional, and national action plans.
No industry is evolving as quickly as the cannabis industry, driven by rapidly shifting public perception, legal regulation, and market viability. The design of innovative products and launch of new companies is fueling this evolution, but there remains a lack of global cohesion or direction to manage this process, with implications towards restorative justice, global health, economic empowerment, and agricultural sustainability practices vulnerable to whether the industry will experience exponential growth or epic failure. This strategic dialogue will tackle several important themes coloring the international debate surrounding the cannabis industry, as well as draw on global case studies to inform projections on where the U.S. industry will go. As Concordia’s inaugural gathering on this issue, this discussion will chart a path for Concordia and partners to follow over the next 12 months, towards the end goal of designing a roadmap for partnership driven impact within the cannabis industry.
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