Shaping the future of global collaboration: 2017 Concordia Annual Summit
NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest nonpartisan forum on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly takes place on September 18th and 19th at the Grand Hyatt New York. Through its innovative, action-oriented programming, the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit will explore today's most pressing global challenges with the aim of building effective cross-sector partnerships and driving collective action.
Bringing together over 2,000 of the world's preeminent thought leaders, influencers, and decision makers from across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, the seventh annual Concordia Summit's diverse audience is expected to include over 30 current and former heads of state, 450 international and Fortune 500 C-suite executives, prominent nonprofit leaders, and senior Congressional and Administration officials.
General (Ret) David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, notes that, "As a Concordia Leadership Council Member, I can attest to the convening power and catalytic effects of Concordia; indeed, I strongly support Concordia because it does so much to leverage and integrate the work of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in order to promote lasting social impact."
The Summit will feature over 250 speakers, with equal efforts focused on recruiting experts from across all sectors. Recent speaker announcements include Wilbur Ross, United States Secretary of Commerce, Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, and Greg Hayes, CEO of United Technologies.
These speakers will be joined by Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Airbnb, Kathleen McLaughlin, Senior Vice President and President of Walmart Foundation and Chief Sustainability Officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Scott Price, Executive Vice President of Global Leverage for Walmart International, Oleksandr Danyliuk, Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Judith Marks, CEO of Siemens USA, Forest Whitaker, UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, and Concordia's esteemed Leadership Council, among many others. For a full list of current speakers and agenda information, see www.concordia.net/annualsummit/2017annualsummit/.
At the core of the Summit's programming will be a focus on the power of partnerships in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), implemented in January 2016 to guide international progress towards achieving lasting, long-term solutions to the biggest challenges facing the world today. Constructed in collaboration with the insight, expertise and knowledge of Concordia's global Membership community, the Summit's programming will cover global issues spanning the mounting refugee crisis, the rise of populism, and the need for sustainable investment, among others. Each session—be it through the plenary stage, strategic dialogues, roundtables, office hours, or private meetings—will directly relate to Concordia's Programming Pipelines and Campaigns for Social Impact, contributing to its overarching mission of capitalizing on the unparalleled role of partnership in creating a more prosperous and sustainable future.
"This year's Concordia Annual Summit is the leading bipartisan forum of 2017, during a time that is seemingly starkly polarized," said Concordia Chairman & CEO, Matthew A. Swift. "We welcome individuals and organizations across all sectors, and we are therefore excited to feature such a diverse, expansive and impressive range of speakers at this year's Summit, who will provide invaluable insight into overcoming today's most pressing global challenges."
"At Concordia, we pride ourselves in being the most inclusive forum, giving a voice to those unseen and unheard from all over the world," commented Nicholas M. Logothetis, Concordia's Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board, adding "This story of empowering the individual voice has been at the core of the organization's organic growth since the very beginning, and is what makes us different."
Hosted by the New York City Mayor's Office, and in partnership with the Open Society Foundations, Columbia University's Global Policy Initiative, and Concordia, the Global Mayors' Summit will gather mayors and other municipal leaders, national governments, civil society, and international stakeholders to discuss how cities can implement policies that promote migrant and refugee integration, rights protection, and empowerment.
The Summit will also feature an on-site Day of Engagement, connecting high-level Summit discussion with action-oriented, experiential programming that showcases successful partnerships achieving social impact. This year, Concordia will partner with Americares, a health-focused relief and development organization, to provide Summit guests with the opportunity to assemble emergency response first aid kits to help Americares prepare for deployment at home and overseas.
Concordia's official media partner for the 2017 Summit will be POLITICO. The leading nonpartisan news publication will enhance event programming by featuring journalists as moderators for select plenary and strategic dialogue sessions.
With all eyes on New York at this critical time for the world, find out how to get involved as Concordia works to foster dialogue, fuel collaboration, and leverage the power of partnerships in creating tangible positive social impact.
About Concordia
Concordia is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that builds meaningful partnerships for positive social impact. As equal parts convener, campaigner, and idea incubator, Concordia is actively fostering cross-sector collaboration to create a more prosperous and sustainable future. Concordia was founded in 2011 by Matthew A. Swift and Nicholas M. Logothetis. Learn how to get involved at www.concordia.net.
Media Contact: Rita Lockheart, Communications Department, Media@concordia.net
Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/544025/Concordia_Logo.jpg
Share this article