The last two weeks have been focused on our upcoming online conference, Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020, running from 21-25 September. It is completely free to attend. The theme of the conference is “Rebuild Better: Building an Equitable and Resilient Future”.
We are very excited to be hearing from amazing speakers from AB InBev, Visa, WWF, Unilever, Harvard Kennedy School and others, and to be bringing together members of our global community for a week of insightful interviews, expert webinars and peer discussions.
The conference builds on the success of our highly-rated online event in July: over 96% of the feedback we received rated it good or excellent, and 97% said they learned something valuable for their work.
Business Fights Poverty NYC 2020 coincides with the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. This will be an important week in determining the global response to many pressing challenges: the biggest ever global conversation on the future we want. As Zahid Torres-Rahman, Business Fights Poverty’s Founder and CEO, explains in his recent article: “We are an official part of Global Goals Week and through our focus on “Rebuilding Better”, we will explore in a very practical way how business and its partners can help create an equitable and resilient future.”
The first day of our conference is dedicated to “Imagining the Future We Want”. In a world that seems increasingly unstable, a shared vision of a better future provides hope and acts as a catalyst for collaborative action. Many of our articles over the last fortnight have begun to develop on what this vision could be:
- Vaughan Lindsay, CEO, ClimateCare takes a look at what we can learn from the response to COVID-19 to help us turn the tide on the climate emergency. In his article, he argues that we must not simply restart the engine post COVID-19. Instead, we need to assess what has not been working and retool to avoid making the same mistakes in future.
- What are the business model shifts, emerging technologies and social innovations that could shape the next decade? The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has released an issue brief designed to help us think about the innovations that we can leverage in service of the SDGs; in his article, Julian Hill-Landolt, Director, Vision 2050, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) provides an introduction.
- Women are bearing a disproportionate burden of the pandemic’s economic impacts. Natalie Deacon, Executive Director Corporate Affairs Avon, and President, Avon Foundation for Women explains how flexible, digital earning opportunities can support Women’s Wellbeing.
Besides our articles, at the beginning of the month we released a new report on Mining as a Partner in Supporting More Inclusive and Resilient Societies. It explores how the mining and metals industry – which plays a significant role in many national economies and local communities – can play a leadership role in rebuilding better in the wake of COVID-19.
Building on our COVID-19 Response Framework published earlier this year, the document is the result of a collaboration between the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), Business Fights Poverty (BFP) and The Partnering Initiative (TPI), in consultation with the Corporate Responsibility Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School. In addition to exploring actions that can be taken within the industry, it highlights the value of the sector as a partner in multi sectoral initiatives for systemic change.
As we look forward to Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020, we are releasing a series of articles that give a preview of our upcoming webinars and peer discussions. These cover a range of practical topics on the daily themes of Imagining the Future We Want; Creating an Equitable World; Helping People Survive and Thrive; Building Resilient Livelihoods; and Shaping System-Level Partnerships.
The first few articles are now live, including:
- Driving digital equity for the most vulnerable
- Measuring and Maximising Social Impact – A focus on learning and digital opportunities
- Nature and its value to International Supply Chains
- Building Inclusive Opportunities to Rebuild Better from COVID-19
So far, over a thousand people have registered for the conference, and we are looking forward to bringing people from across different sectors and geographic locations together in collaborative dialogue.
You can register here, and digital passes are also available for purchase for those who want to watch or share the sessions after the events. Our digital passes also help us to keep our online conferences free to access live, so that everyone can join in the conversation about how to build a better future for all.
Please join us to imagine the future we want, and to take concrete steps towards it.