Sustainable Development Impact Summit

24–25 September 2018 New York, USA

#wefimpact 2018

Last update: 25 Sep 22:48 UTC
12:25 UTC

Welcome to day one in New York

Driving progress towards meeting the SDGs and tackling climate change are no easy tasks, but no global challenge is too daunting to address as long as we work together.

We are about to start the second annual Sustainable Development Impact Summit here in New York, amidst other high-level meetings going on in the city.

Follow it via #wefimpact on Twitter, and tune in shortly to watch the livestreamed sessions.

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12:29 UTC

What you need to know about the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 

When and where will the Summit take place?

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14:22 UTC

Watch the opening video of the Summit

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14:59 UTC

Key quotes from the opening plenary

Bill de Blasio, Mayor of NYC:

“Climate change is a battle that can be won, but only with intense urgency, and there is not enough of that right now.”

“We will have to build whole new economy; one that offers people both a pay cheque and a planet they can live in.”

"Fossil fuels my friends belongs in only one place: stranded in the ground."

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Klaus Schwab:

“Here we are more a do-tank than a think tank. Thinking has been done. Now we have to implement.”

Borge Brende, President, World Economic Forum:

“We can’t achieve the SDGs through the status quo or just some extra development assistance. We need a shift in model.”

18:23 UTC

Key quote from SDI co-chair, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark

“By matching private and public sectors in partnership, we can break down barriers to sustainable growth, which no sector can do on its own.”

18:26 UTC

How to build sustainable markets

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18:38 UTC

Millennials are driving sustainability in the finance industry

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19:43 UTC

Ending poverty starts with establishing peace and security

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21:21 UTC

David Lear, Vice-President, Sustainability, Dell Technologies, USA

"At the core, a lot of the SDGs are going to rely on access to information and education to really develop."

21:49 UTC

How we can secure our shared environmental resources

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22:01 UTC

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on our impact on ecological issues

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22:11 UTC

Here's why our climate system is vulnerable

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22:15 UTC

We all need to be planetary stewards

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22:35 UTC

"We as humanity are the driving force of change on Earth"

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22:53 UTC

The demand for action on climate change

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13:19 UTC

Day 2 of the Sustainable Development Impact Summit

Welcome to the second day of the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Summit, coming to you from New York City.

Coming up at 11:45 EST: Mobilizing Finance for Impact plenary session. Featured speakers include IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and Bank of America executive Anne Finucane. Tune in!

15:43 UTC

Photos from Day 1

Scroll down for a snapshot of the first day of the Sustainable Development Impact Summit.

Winnie Byanyima speaks at Opening Press Conference at The Building Sustainable Forum holds the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2018 in New York, NY USA. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Ben Hider
BlackRock, USA Vice Chairman Barbara Novick and Oxfam International, Kenya Executive Director Winnie Byanyima at the Opening Press Conference
Image: Ben Hider
Borge Brende, Barbara Novick, Winnie Byanyima, David W. MacLennan and Lars Lokke Rasmussen speaks at Building Sustainable Markets at The World Economic Forum holds the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2018 in New York, NY USA.
Sustainable Development Impact Summit Opening Press Conference
Image: Ben Hider
Hilde Schwab and attendees pose for photos at the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award Ceremony at The World Economic Forum holds the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2018 in New York, NY USA. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Ben Hider
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Chairperson Hilde Schwab with attendees at the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award Ceremony
Image: Ben Hider
Al Gore speaks at Environmental Stewardship in the Sprint to 2020 at The World Economic Forum holds the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2018 in New York, NY USA. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Ben Hider
Former U.S. President Al Gore speaks at Environmental Stewardship in the Sprint to 2020 session
Image: Ben Hider
16:26 UTC

Christine Lagarde moderating session on using finance for impact

How can nations scale the financing needed to deliver their SDG and climate commitments?

That's the main question discussed at the session "Mobilizing Finance for Impact", moderated by Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

Christine Lagarde opened the session with a strong stat: "14% of GDP is going to be needed in terms of fiscal space by low-income and developing countries in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals."

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One of the speakers, Gyan-Baffour, Ghanaian development economist and politician, highlighted the importance of technology:

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19:16 UTC

California Governor Jerry Brown on collaborating to tackle climate crisis

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19:22 UTC

Striving to get carbon emissions to zero

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21:32 UTC

Using technology to create a sustainable world

How do we embrace disruption? And how can technology help achieving the SDGs?

On stage discussing this at the session "Sustainable Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution" we have Director US News Gustau Alegret, Mozilla's Mitchell Baker, Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson

Alex Gorsky, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte

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22:22 UTC

We have a challenge to get on a sustainable path

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22:46 UTC

What next? 4 ways to build a sustainable future

At the Sustainability Development Impact Summit 2018, the World Economic Forum connected 100 world-leading coalitions to turn commitments into action on climate change and sustainable development.

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22:48 UTC

Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2018 highlights

That's a wrap for this year. Cheers from us, here in New York!

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