Sustainable Development Impact Summit

For over a year, countries have struggled to address a pandemic that respects no borders, destroys lives and livelihoods, and deepens pre-existing global challenges like inequality, climate change and education. With less than a decade left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the fully virtual Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2021, hosted alongside the United Nations General Assembly, will bring together global leaders from diverse sectors, disciplines and geographies. Ensuring the world exits the pandemic stronger than it entered it will only be possible if leaders work together across sectors and borders to share and deploy know-how, innovation and promising approaches and accelerate the recovery. Context In 2020, for the first time, the world retreated in its progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As countries struggled to address the COVID-19 pandemic, over 100 million people were pushed back into poverty, the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost and 101 million youth fell below a minimum reading level. With less than a decade to meet the SDGs, the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2021, hosted alongside the United Nations General Assembly, will bring together leaders for collective action to shape a new trajectory of accelerated progress. Objective Leveraging the most promising approaches and methods to advance a sustainable, equitable and inclusive recovery, leaders will work together across sectors, geographies and disciplines to share and deploy know-how and innovation to exit the pandemic stronger than we entered it. Leaders and experts across sectors will:

• Share new technologies, markets and innovations that offer tangible solutions to global challenges
• Create innovative policy recommendations, action frameworks and methodologies to advance global cooperation
• Advance partnerships, alliances and consortia that can rapidly accelerate progress on pressing and emerging issues

Leading businesses, policy-makers from G7, G20 and other major economies, along with international and civil society organizations, innovators and entrepreneurs, will come together for four days of tightly focused, action-driven sessions to raise ambitions, drive action and build momentum for sustainable development. The meeting will also represent a key milestone in the lead-up to the UN Food System Summit (UNGA, September) and COP26 (November). Programme Held over four days, the meeting will address four broad, interconnected areas through impact-oriented working sessions, high-level roundtables, dialogues and briefings. MONDAY 20 SEPTEMBER Revitalizing Economies Leverage new tools, policies and technologies to revitalize markets, industries, and advance global cooperation TUESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER Advancing an Inclusive Recovery Scale innovative policies and initiatives to embed equity and justice in health systems, care, skills, education and jobs WEDNESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER Scaling Up Climate Action Move from commitments to action to measure, finance and close the gap towards net-zero emissions across countries and industries THURSDAY 23 SEPTEMBER Shaping Future Food Systems Explore innovative levers to advance partnerships and galvanize action towards inclusive, equitable, sustainable and healthy food systems