Professor Phoebe Koundouri’s keynote at the 2024 Thessaloniki Sustainability Summit (TSS2024) gathered scientists, local authorities, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders to discuss the pathway to the United Nations Summit of the Future within the framework of the Thessaloniki Fair 2024. Grateful for the invitation from Professor Nikos Theodosiou, representing SDSN Black Sea, Professor Koundouri addressed the upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future in New York, which she described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to strengthen global governance and develop international mechanisms that address the realities of the 21st century, tackling both current and future challenges and opportunities.
AE4RIA – the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Αephoria – along with the SDSN Global Climate Hub, is preparing to participate actively in the Summit of the Future in New York. Professor Koundouri shared insights into some of the key side events they are excited to attend, including:
- The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Chairs Meeting and the 23rd Meeting of the SDSN Leadership Council.
- The International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) ICSD2024, organized by the Global Association of Master’s in Development Practice Programs (MDP) in collaboration with SDSN.
- The High-Level Pre-Summit of the Future Event – a two-day event hosted by SDSN at Columbia University.
- The SDG Media Zone at the United Nations Headquarters, with panels such as “Shaping the Future Through Action and Partnerships: Building a Resilient and Equitable World” and “Educating for Global Sustainability: Systems Leadership for a Resilient Future,” organized by the UN Department of Global Communications in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation.
- The High-Level Event on “The Global Distribution of Funded Mass Scaled Solutions,” hosted by ForceGood.
- The Family Offices for Sustainable Development (FOSD) PVBLIC Foundation Summit and Reception, the second edition, hosted at the UN General Assembly in New York City.
- A High-Level Education Dinner titled Skills for the Future (Skyway).
- Bringing the Grid Into the Age of Intelligence – a Grid Modernization Deep Dive at New York Climate Week, hosted by Google in collaboration with Tapestry, X’s moonshot for the electric grid, and the ClimateTech Association.
- The Puro.earth Climate Week NYC CDR Summit.
- The Final Countdown – a Summit of the Future side event at the UN General Assembly and Climate Week, organized by the US Coalition on Sustainability in collaboration with Salesforce and SustainChain™.
- The UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub’s Tenth Systemic Innovation Workshop.
Stay tuned for updates as Professor Koundouri and her teams at AE4RIA and the SDSN Global Climate Hub engage with global leaders on these transformative initiatives.