Programme
SDG Media Zone @UNGA81
Tuesday 22 September Watch Live
Delivering the Promise of the SDGs Together
10:30 - 10:50 EDT
At a time of growing geopolitical tensions, widening inequalities and mounting climate impacts, confidence in international cooperation is under pressure. Yet global challenges continue to demand collective solutions.
Against the backdrop of the UN General Assembly theme, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All," this conversation will explore how multilateralism can respond to today's realities and deliver tangible results for people.
Featuring the Director-General for Global Alliances, European Union and Economic Cooperation, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Federal Republic of Germany; the Director General for Development and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Republic; and the Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, the conversation will highlight how renewed multilateralism and partnerships can deliver tangible results for communities (with concrete in-country examples) and how important it is to inspire collective action.
Moderator: Ines Pohl, White House Correspondent, DW
Speakers:
- Dr. Katharina Stasch, Director-General for Global Alliances, European Union and Economic Cooperation at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Federal Republic of Germany
- Stefano Gatti, Director General for Development and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italian Republic
- Marina Ponti, Global Director, UN SDG Action Campaign
Youth Powering Africa's Climate Future
11:00 - 11:20 EDT
2026 is the African Union's Year of Water and Sanitation, placing water security at the center of the continent's climate and development agenda. Young Africans are already building climate solutions; in water, energy, agriculture, and sustainable innovation — and in doing so, they're creating a new kind of economy. Climate innovation isn't separate from the jobs conversation; it's becoming one of the continent's biggest sources of new work. This panel brings together young innovators and youth leadership from the UN and AU to share what's actually being built on the ground, and what it will take to turn that innovation into lasting, scalable employment.
Moderator: Monicah W. Ndung'u, Chief of Corporate Affairs, Marketing & Partnerships Office, Nation Media Group
Speakers:
- Ahunna Eziakonwa, Under Secretary-General and Special Advisor on Africa
- Eugenia Boaten, Africa Youth Diaspora Hub
- Reanne Olivier, CEO Africa Matters Initiative
Early Warnings, Early Action: How Media Carries Risk Information to the Last Mile
11:30 - 11:50 EDT
As disasters intensify under a strong El Niño, early warning systems save lives only if warnings reach people in time and are understood. This session brings together media representatives and a disaster risk reduction expert to explore how early warning information is reflected in journalists' own work — what gets amplified, what gets lost, and the role media plays in the "last mile" of risk communication. Panelists will share practical experience translating technical alerts into public understanding and discuss how newsrooms and the UN system can strengthen collaboration to advance the Early Warnings for All initiative, ensuring no one is left unwarned.
Moderator: Simon Bishop, Chief Executive Office, BBC Media Action
Speakers:
- Sujit Mohanty, Chief of Intergovernmental, Interagency cooperation and Partnerships Branch, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
- Khadija Maalej, Senior Project Manager, BBC Media Action North Africa
Securing Reliable Information in an AI-Driven World
12:00 - 12:20 EDT
As generative AI reshapes how information is created, consumed, and trusted, the digital commons are facing growing challenges of sustainability and exploitation. In this fireside conversation, Wikimedia Foundation CEO, Bernadette Meehan, and Under-secretary-general of the United Nations Department of Public Information, Melissa Fleming will discuss the crisis of content reuse: what happens when AI systems and platforms extract value from open knowledge sources like Wikipedia and the United Nations without reciprocal support? What does this mean for information integrity worldwide? And what can the UN, governments, civil society, and platforms do to ensure reliable information doesn't become a luxury for a few, but remains available to all? Drawing on their vantage points at Wikimedia and the UN, they'll explore the challenges that our information ecosystem is facing in the age of AI, and discuss some potential ways forward.
Moderator: Eseohe Arhebamen-Yamasaki, Head of Communications, Springer Nature
Speakers:
- Bernadette Meehan, CEO, Wikimedia Foundation
- Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications
Stories That Move Us: Protecting People, Nature and the Planet
12:30 - 13:00 EDT
Storytelling has the incredible power to make global challenges personal and bring audiences closer to the people and places at the heart of the climate and biodiversity crises. Through the story of Indigenous leader Juma Xipaia and the making of YANUNI, this conversation will explore storytelling's power and responsibility to amplify voices from the frontlines, build understanding, and inspire action. The speakers will discuss how intimate, human stories can connect audiences to complex environmental and human rights issues, challenge perceptions, and help turn awareness into meaningful action for people and the planet.
Moderator: Alice Aedy, filmmaker, co-founder & CEO of Earthrise Studio
Speaker:
- Juma Xipaia, Indigenous leader, environmental activist, and a Chief of the village of Xipaya people in Brazil’s Amazon
- Richard Ladkani, award-winning filmmaker and director of YANUNI
- Dax Dasilva, entrepreneur, tech leader, conservationist, film producer, and author
Hollywood Climate Summit: Comedy as Climate Strategy
13:00 - 13:20 EDT
Climate fatigue is real, and sometimes laughing is one of the most empowering ways to face hard things. This panel brings together voices from late-night television, stand-up, and sketch comedy to explore how humor cuts through the noise, speaks disarming truths through laughter, and makes climate conversations feel relatable with friends and family.
Moderator: Shel Winkley. Chief Meteorologist, Climate Central
Speakers:
- Nicole Conlan. Daily Show TV Writer, Climate Deniers Podcast, Colbert
- Stuart Goldsmith. Climate Comedian
Hollywood Climate Summit: Turning Followers Into Force Multipliers
13:30 - 14:00 EDT
Climate action doesn't have to compete with the things people already love, it can live inside them. This panel brings together four creators who've built massive, devoted audiences around cooking, music, science, and fashion, and found their way to climate storytelling through those doors instead of around them. They'll unpack what it actually takes to make climate feel like part of a life someone's already living, not a separate cause competing for their attention.
Moderator: Melissa Navia, actor (Star Trek, Strange New Worlds)
Speakers:
- Pedro Loos, science communicator and digital educator
- Hila the Earth, Eco-Rapper, Comedian and Content Creator
- Wisdom Kaye, Fashion Creative and Style Icon
- Alexis Nikole Nelson, Forager, Cook, and Author
Flipping the Script: The UN Spokesperson Asks the Questions
14:30 - 14:50 EDT
What happens when the UN spokesperson takes the questions and the correspondents take the answers? In this session, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, invites the UN Correspondents to reflect on their role in covering multilateralism, global affairs and the work of the United Nations. The panel will explore how journalists navigate the UN beat, what shapes their coverage, and how they see the evolving relationship between the UN and the current media landscape.
Moderator: Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General
From Fear to Freedom: A Global Perspective, Potential Threats and Real Threats
15:00 - 15:20 EDT
As conflicts continue to leave millions at risk from landmines and explosive ordnance, this is a rare opportunity for global media to hear directly from leaders shaping the international response. The Director of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) offers a strategic global perspective and explains how mine action serves the Development Goals. Jody Williams, Chair of the Nobel Women’s Initiative and Ambassador for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), will talk about new threats to global security and the need to strengthen international humanitarian law, and UNMAS Mine Action Chief in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will describe in real-time the tonnes of unexploded bombs, projectiles, landmines and improvised devices that threaten human security and recovery in Gaza and the West Bank. Controlling the use of indiscriminate weapons and clearing explosive hazards is an essential precursor to implementing the 2030 Agenda.
Moderator: Henry Butler, Editorial Producer, Laura Coates Live at CNN
Speakers:
- Ms. Kazumi Ogawa, Director United Nations Mine Action Service
- Julius Dirk Van de Walt, Chief of the Mine Action Programme in the Occupied Territory of Palestine
- Jody Williams, founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Nobel Peace Laureate 1997
The Leadership Gap: Can the SDGs be Achieved Without Women in Power?
15:30 pm - 15:50 EDT
Who leads shapes whose voices are heard, whose priorities are funded and whose rights are protected. Yet despite progress, women remain underrepresented in political leadership while facing growing barriers, including online abuse, disinformation and democratic backsliding. Drawing on the latest findings from the Gender Snapshot 2026, this conversation explores what the data tells us about the state of women's political participation, why inclusive leadership is essential to restoring public trust, and what governments, institutions and citizens can do to accelerate change. Bringing together global leadership, political experience and independent voices, the session examines why achieving the SDGs requires women equally represented wherever decisions are made.
Moderator: Khadija Maalej, Senior Project Manager, BBC Media Action North Africa
Speakers:
- Ms. Sarah Hendriks, Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (UN Women)
- Ms. Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
- Ms. Lesego Chombo, Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs of Botswana
Wednesday 23 September Watch Live
Too hot to ignore: Building Urban Resilience to Extreme Heat
10:30 - 10:50 EDT
Extreme heat is already a major global threat. An estimated 489,000 people die each year from heat-related causes worldwide. As cities become hotter and more vulnerable, proven solutions such as resilient buildings, urban greening, passive design and smarter planning can reduce temperatures, save lives and cut emissions.
This discussion, convened by UNEP, brings together an architect and a city leader to explore how these approaches can be scaled to create cooler, healthier, and more resilient cities. It will also highlight practical initiatives such as the Beat the Heat Implementation Drive. Together, these efforts demonstrate how cities can reduce heat risks, protect vulnerable populations, lower emissions, and build long-term climate resilience.
Moderator: Maeve Campbell, Climate Presenter and Producer, Channel 4 News
Speakers:
- Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme
- Mariam Issoufou, Architect and founder of Mariam Issoufou Architects, UNEP Champion of the Earth
From Evidence to Action: Making Climate and Biodiversity Change Visible
11:00 - 11:20 EDT
Climate change and biodiversity loss are vast, complex processes that often remain invisible in everyday life. Their consequences unfold across scales ranging from a single community to the entire planet, and from a human lifetime to millions of years. Although younger generations report high levels of concern, abstract knowledge does not reliably translate into sustained civic or behavioral action. In this panel, Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, Tanushah Ramadass, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos examine how evidence travels—from the rock record and natural history museums, through high-impact visual media, into public understanding and collective action. Lacovara brings the perspective of deep time, using fossils, strata, and past mass extinctions to reveal the consequences of planetary change. Psihoyos, Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society and director of groundbreaking documentaries like The Cove and Racing Extinction, leverages powerful narrative storytelling and iconic global imagery to expose environmental crises and inspire immediate movement. Together, the speakers bridge deep history and contemporary visual advocacy to illuminate how scientific truth can move beyond abstract awareness and spark real-world transformation.
Moderator: Laura Geggel, Managing Editor, Live Science
Speakers:
- Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, Founding Executive Director of Edelman Fossil Park and Museum
- Louie Psihoyos, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society
- Tanushah Ramadass, Singaporean Youth Researcher, Program Coordinator for the ASEAN Women in Science Mentorship Program and former Regional Lead for SEA, Girl Up Campaign, United Nations Foundation
Local Action Powering Global Impact: Public Private Partnerships to Advance Progress on SDG 7
11:30 - 11:50 EDT
While significant progress has been made on SDG 7 in the last decade, achieving a more affordable and sustainable energy future for all remains under threat.
In some parts of the world, grid infrastructure is aging and outdated, while in other parts it is non-existent – both occurring against a background where global energy demand is climbing; extreme weather and other threats are knocking out power where communities can least afford it; and strained municipal budgets can't close the gap. However, the most durable answer is emerging where the global goals actually get implemented — at the community level.
Energy innovations, including bringing more flexible and distributed energy resources to the grid can be a triple win: lowering energy costs and increasing energy resilience while also contributing to reduced GHG emissions that cause climate change.
This conversation will showcase how public-private partnerships supporting SDG 7 can turn local resilience into a replicable global answer: one that is not only more sustainable, but more affordable and more secure.
Moderator: Elaine Reyes, News Anchor, UN Insider & Americas Now, CGTN America
Speakers:
- Kimberly Johnston, Founder and CEO of NextGen Energy
- Marc Pacheco, Former Massachusetts State Senator and current President and CEO of the Transatlantic Climate Alliance
- Dr. Wale Aboyade, Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Sun King
Reimagining Care: Disability, Family, and How We Shift Medical Culture
12:00 - 12:20 EDT
HOLDING MOSES follows a Broadway performer, whose world shifts when her son is born with profound disabilities, catalyzing a reimagining of what family, care, and belonging can look like. Oscar-shortlisted and streaming on The New Yorker, the film has become a tool for systemic change, reaching over 600 doctors-to-be, with plans to engage 7,500 more over the next 5 years. At the SDG Media Zone, disability advocates and clinical partners Dr. Jaya Aysola and Dr. Hannah Kakara Anderson join director Rivkah Beth Medow to explore how inclusive communication and design can advance human rights and improve healthcare outcomes.
Moderator: Flora Peir, News Editor, The 19th
Speakers:
- Dr. Jaya Aysola, Founding Executive Director of Penn Medicine's Center for Health Equity Advancement (CHEA) and Director of Research, Center of Public Health, and Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Professor of Pediatrics
- Dr. Hannah Kakara Anderson, Education Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Founder, Learning Design Collective
- Rivkah Beth Medow, Director of Holding Moses, Co-founder of Frankly Speaking Films
El Niño is Here: Time to Act
12:30 - 12:50 EDT
El Niño is here — and it is strengthening. On 3 September, WMO confirmed that El Niño is firmly established and expected to reach very strong intensity, with a near-100% likelihood of persisting through February 2027. It is already reshaping expectations for rainfall and temperature around the world, increasing risks of floods, drought and extreme heat. But El Niño does not mean the same impacts everywhere. Seasonal forecasts can give governments, businesses and communities months of advance warning to understand what is coming and act. This session will explore what the latest outlook means, how forecasts create value, and how new technologies are changing what we can anticipate.
Moderator: Bernadette Placky Woods, Chief meteorologist and Climate Matters director at Climate Central
Speakers:
- Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the WMO
- Terry Thompson, Chief Scientist, Climate Centre of Excellence, S&P Global
- Tim Carroll, Global Weather & Climate Business Leader, NVIDIA
The Fashion Diplomacy: From Cultural Heritage to Economic Opportunity
13:00 - 13:20 EDT
Launch of Fashion Diplomacy as supported by the First Lady of Estonia.
The panel will explore how heritage and craft can become powerful tools for cultural connection, economic opportunity and international collaboration. Bringing together perspectives from diplomacy, cultural heritage and fashion, the conversation will examine how traditional knowledge can remain visible, valued and relevant while creating new opportunities for the people and communities behind it. The discussion will also consider how culture can open conversations across countries and how relationships built through those exchanges can lead to longer-term cooperation.
Special remarks: Sirje Karis, First Lady of Estonia
Moderator: Bella Webb, Vogue Business
Speakers:
- Jasmine Aarons, Founder of VOZ and Philanthropic Partnerships Officer at the Amazon Investor Coalition
- Marilin Tammsaar, Fashion Executive, Spouse of the Estonian Ambassador to the UN and Founder of Fashion Diplomacy
Fashion Upcycling Workshop
13:30 - 13:50 EDT
Kate McGuire will lead a visual conversion demonstration exploring the creative potential of redesign and the art of seeing clothes within clothes. Using a jacket and a jumpsuit as her canvas, she will show how simple, accessible alterations—using fabric reclaimed from other garments rather than newly produced material—can make the ordinary feel unique, personal and thrilling. The session will bring circular fashion to life, inviting audiences to reconsider the value of what they already own. Its central premise: the single most impactful action available to any of us is to wear existing garments for longer.
Workshop Lead
Kate McGuire, founder of Converted Closet, entrepreneur, and sustainable fashion advocate
How to Get People to Care
14:00 - 14:30 EDT
The Development sector has an attention and distribution problem. The sector produces more evidence, more strategy and more campaigns than at any point in its history, and reaches fewer people than a single creator with a phone. Creators, meanwhile, have never been more influential in shaping what people say, do and believe, at a scale and cost no institution can match. This session brings together a prominent black female creator in conversation with the founder and CEO of a pan-African organisation as they unpack how the development sector can use popular culture to make everyday people care.
Moderator: Dr. Okito Wedi, Founder & CEO Crtve Development
Speaker:
- Akunna Cook, Founder and CEO of Next Narrative Africa
Performer: Rouge, Rapper & Creative Director
Feminism and AI
14:30 - 14:50 EDT
Amid a growing global backlash against women’s rights and the weaponisation of technology to harm women and girls, the fight for gender equality is more urgent than ever. UN Women’s SDG Media Zone discussion, “AI and Feminism”, brings together advocates, experts, and global leaders to examine how artificial intelligence is fuelling a backlash against women and girls, while exploring its potential to help dismantle it. Speakers will discuss practical pathways forward, from survivor-centred approaches and platform accountability to stronger governance and safety-by-design. Technology should be a force for equality, not a weapon against it, and this conversation asks how.
Moderator: Aisha Becker-Burrowes, Co-Founder and Executive Director at FEMINIST
Speakers:
- Kalliopi Mingeirou, UN Women Chief, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
- Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Women Digital Transformation Lead
Built This Way: Children, Youth and Information Integrity
15:00 - 15:20 EDT
The global information ecosystem is at a crisis point, and children and young people are among those most connected and most at risk. The harms they experience within our information ecosystem are not accidental. They are shaped by systems and business models designed to capture attention, harvest data and maximise engagement. Often at the expense of safety, wellbeing and trust. As AI accelerates these dynamics, young people are navigating an increasingly complex information environment while having too little say in how it is built. This event examines what it will take to make our information ecosystem safe and reliable for future generations, and why young people themselves must be part of building the solution.
Moderator: Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, United Nations
Speakers:
- Ian Russell, MBE - Co-Founder, Molly Rose Foundation, Molly’s Dad
- Filipe Lopes, Counsellor, Brazilian Mission to the United Nations
- Natalie Shoup, Industry & Data Lead, Safe Online
The Kind of Leader the World Needs Now
15:30 - 16:30 EDT
To foster an intergenerational dialogue on the leadership qualities needed to strengthen multilateralism and enable the United Nations to respond effectively to today’s global challenges, while ensuring that young people’s aspirations help shape the future of international leadership.
This session will explore the qualities that tomorrow’s global leaders—and particularly the next generation of UN leadership—must embody to respond effectively to today’s interconnected challenges.
Building on the intergenerational dialogue held during the Candidates' Debate in Geneva, three distinguished international leaders—Helen Clark, Irina Bokova and Susana Malcorra, candidates in 2016 to be UNSG—will be joined by two students in a conversation that bridges experience and emerging perspectives.
The discussion will also draw on the "Ten Qualities for the Next UN Secretary-General," developed by students participating in the Her Turn Initiative following their engagement with global leaders. These reflections will serve as a starting point to discuss the values, skills and vision needed to lead both the United Nations and the international community in the years ahead.
Moderator: Karina Givargisoff, Founder, Mission Magazine
Speakers:
- Helen Clark, Co-founder of GWL Voices
- Irina Bokova, Co-founder of GWL Voices
- Susana Malcorra, President and co-founder of GWL Voices
- Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General for Operations, IOM
- Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results
- Jocast Samuel, Her Turn youth programme
- Jenn Hernandez, Her Turn youth programme
Thursday 24 September Watch Live
2026 UN Water Conference: The World Comes Together for Water
10:30 - 10:50 EDT
As we enter the final few years of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the world must boost investment, innovation and political will towards achieving SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. The 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, and convened in Abu Dhabi on 8-10 December 2026, will bring this spirit of solidarity to life and help to build a sustainable and resilient water future for all.
Building water resilience is too often viewed as a series of difficult choices: economic development versus environmental protection, agricultural needs versus industries, urban development versus rural livelihoods, immediate survival or long-term climate adaptation. Bringing together the co-hosts and UN leadership, this session explores how smart technology and investments, innovative governance and multi-sectoral partnerships can accelerate progress on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Join us to explore how practical strategies can turn perceived trade-offs into lasting solutions for water-scarce communities worldwide.
Moderator: Ms. Adla Massoud, the United Nations Correspondent, The National
Speakers:
- Ms. Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy and Sustainability, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Arab Emirates
- Ms. Madhushree Chatterjee, Chief of Natural Resources and Interlinkages, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations
From Invisible Majorities to Unstoppable Movements: What Can Climate Initiatives Learn?
11:00 - 11:20 EDT
What happens when people find out they are not alone in caring about climate change?
Roughly nine in ten people worldwide want stronger climate action, but many assume the people around them do not. Believing they’re alone in their views, they say little, unaware their neighbours feel exactly the same way.
In this session, Melissa Fleming is joined by inspirational leaders from causes such as #MeToo and BLM who have overcome similar pluralistic ignorance in the past, and grown mass movements as a result. Together, they discuss what worked for them in the past, and what climate movements can do to build public solidarity.
Moderator: Melissa Fleming, USG of the UN Department of Global Communications
Speakers:
- Evan Wolfson, Founder, Freedom to Marry
- Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
- Jeremy Heimans, Co-founder and Chairman, Purpose
Responding to Future Pandemics
11:40 AM - 12:00 EDT
Viruses, like COVID-19, do not respect borders. Five years after COVID-19 killed millions, shocked health systems, disrupted lives and drove the global economy to a virtual standstill, the world is trying to make sure it is better prepared for the next pandemic.
Recent Ebola, mpox, cholera and hantavirus outbreaks continue to demonstrate the need for sustained investment in preparedness and global health security. That is why one of the most prominent moments during this year's High-level Week will be the meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. It is hoped that leaders will come together to emphasize the importance of sustained investment, collaboration and preparedness to prevent and respond to future pandemics. Dr. Tedros will participate, alongside senior UN and Member State representatives.
The meeting is particularly timely given the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC - the largest seen in the country which has tragically killed more than 3,500 people.
Moderator: Samira Hussain, North America Business Correspondent, BBC News
Speaker:
- Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO)
Cities Delivering Climate Action That Works for Everyone
12:00 - 12:20 EDT
Cities around the world are demonstrating what an inclusive and just transition looks like in practice, delivering climate action in urban areas that tackle inequalities and benefit communities with clean energy, safer transport, better housing, good green jobs, and economic opportunities.
In this session, city leaders will share inspiring examples of ambitious local action advancing SDGs. Examples include building the urban climate workforce of the future, ensuring urban data centres are sustainable and benefit local communities, creating new good green jobs, improving working conditions for informal waste workers, and ensuring frontline populations benefit from the phaseout of fossil fuels and rollout of renewable energy.
Moderator: Molly Taft, Senior climate writer, WIRED
Speakers:
- Eric Garcetti, former mayor of Los Angeles and Ambassador for Global Climate Diplomacy
- Anne Hidalgo, Former Mayor of Paris (2014-2026) and Global Ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors
- Camila Assis, General Coordinator for International Relations at São Paulo’s Municipal Secretariat for International Relations (SMRI)
Trusted Messengers: How Story Moves Communities Into Climate Action
12:30 - 12:50 EDT
This session makes the case for "trusted messengers" as a core methodology for climate progress: reaching specific communities through voices they already believe, using story over statistics to turn awareness into action. The panellists will draw on their own work mobilizing communities that climate messaging often misses, like athletes, creators, and mountain communities, then widen the lens so the panel argues why the broader climate and SDG community should treat this as a repeatable strategy rather than a nice-to-have. It will present a discussion and actionable takeaways for organizers and climate leaders.
Moderator: Kati Morton, licensed therapist, bestselling author, and mental health educator
Speakers:
- Graham Zimmerman, professional alpinist, award-winning author & filmmaker, Senior Director of the Athlete Alliance at Protect Our Winters (POW)
- Jamie Henn, climate activist and communicator, co-founder of 350.org and Clean Creatives, founder and executive director of Fossil Free Media
- Kristy Drutman, Co-CEO Green Jobs Board , Founder Browngirl Green, climate activist, environmental media producer, and social entrepreneur (
From Plants to People: Ethnobotany, Cultural Knowledge, and Food for Health
13:00 - 13:30 EDT
The event tells the story of how people around the world have developed deep relationships with plants, using them for food, health, and cultural continuity. Through a conversation between two ethnobotanists from different generations and career paths, the audience will explore how traditional knowledge, scientific research, and biodiversity intersect in addressing contemporary challenges such as nutrition, food security, public health, and cultural preservation.
The conversation then transitions into a hands-on sensory experience demonstrating how plant knowledge can be incorporated into daily life through tea and botanical infusions, making the topic tangible for both in-person and virtual audiences.
Moderator: Luis Calzadilla. Senior Director of External Relationships and Engagement, The New York Botanical Garden
Speakers:
- Michael Balick. Vice President for Botanical Science. Director of the Center for Plants, People and Culture, The New York Botanical Garden
- Selena Ahmed, Global Director of the Periodic Table of Food Initiative
Rethinking Food: From Plate to Planet
13:30 - 13:50 EDT
Food waste sits at the intersection of climate change, food security and sustainable consumption. While the scale of the challenge is well understood, there is increasing momentum behind practical solutions that are transforming how food is produced, distributed and consumed.
"Rethinking Food: From Plate to Planet" brings together leading voices from media, civil society and global advocacy to explore how different sectors are tackling food waste and driving meaningful change. Moving beyond awareness, the conversation will focus on the solutions already making an impact - from storytelling and consumer behaviour to food rescue initiatives and international collaboration - and the role each of us can play in creating a more sustainable food system.
Moderator: Chris Morocco, Food Director, Bon Appétit
Speaker:
- Evan Ehlers, Founder & CEO, Sharing Excess
- Tara Gallina, Co-Owner & Chief Experience Officer, Take Root Hospitality
Building the AI Economy: Local Innovation for Inclusive Growth
14:00 - 14:20 EDT
As AI reshapes economies, the real test is whether its benefits reach the communities most at risk of being left behind. This session brings together three perspectives on building an inclusive AI economy: UNDP's role as an ecosystem builder, expanding compute access, skills and enabling policy where AI is least available today; an African innovator whose data infrastructure is opening AI to the Global South; and Big Ocean, the world's first hard-of-hearing K-pop group, whose use of AI in performances shows inclusion in practice. Together they move digital inclusion from principle to lived reality.
Moderator:
Speakers:
- Alexander De Croo, UNDP Administrator
- Kate Kallot, Founder & CEO, Amini
- Park Hyunjin, Kim Jiseok, and Lee Chanyeon, Members of Big Ocean K-Pop Group
AI and Human Rights: The Urgency of Collaboration over Competition
14:30 - 14:50 EDT
This town hall discussion brings together United Nations leaders, human rights advocates, technologists and civil society representatives to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the protection and realization of human rights.
Through concrete case studies, the conversation will; examine both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI including its potential to support efforts to monitor, detect, and prevent human rights violations, while addressing risks related to bias, discrimination, governance and accountability.
The discussion will build on the inaugural session of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, and the Global Digital Compact.
Moderator: Kate Taylor, WIRED
Speaker:
- Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Follow the Money: AI, Advertising and the Global Information Crisis
15:00 - 15:20 EDT
What if the biggest driver of today’s information crisis isn’t just what we can see and access, but who pays for it? Advertising funds much of the digital world, inadvertently enabling everything from trusted journalism to disinformation, hate speech and polarisation. As AI transforms how we find, consume and monetise information, it is also making the flow of advertising dollars harder to see. Free and pluralistic media are losing visibility, while automated systems increasingly decide where ads appear and what gets funded. This event asks a simple question: if money shapes the information ecosystem, how can advertisers use their influence to help shape what comes next?
Moderator: Liz Kneebone, Vice President, Community Programs & Development, ADWEEK
Speakers:
- Charlotte Scaddan, Senior Adviser on Information Integrity, United Nations
- Jake Dubbins, Co-Founder, Conscious Advertising Network
- Rupen Desai, Chief Marketing Officer, Una Terra
‘Cool Me Down’ EARTHGANG Track Launch
15:30 - 16:30 EDT
Music and popular culture can create emotional connections to global issues and reach audiences far beyond traditional policy spaces. This closing session will explore how cultural voices can position human health as an essential and unifying part of the climate agenda.
Featuring EARTHGANG and experts from the UN, UN Live and Wellcome Trust, the session will examine the links between extreme heat, climate and health, share the creative process behind a new Sounds Right track, and include its public premiere, with a possible acoustic performance.
Artist Fireside Chat
Moderator: Iminza, Museum for the United Nations - UN Live
Remarks by: Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition
Speakers:
- Dot (Eian Parker), EARTHGANG
- Olu (Johnny Venus), EARTHGANG
Panel session: One Degree of Separation – Why We’re All Closer to the Solution Than We Think
Moderator: Katja Iversen, Museum for the United Nations - UN Live
Speakers:
- Dr. Alan Dangour, Director of Climate and Health, Wellcome
- Dot (Eian Parker), EARTHGANG
- Olu (Johnny Venus), EARTHGANG
- Dr. Jazmine Alexander-Nicholson, Executive Director, EARTHGANG Foundation
Friday 25 September Watch Live
Advancing Healthier Futures: The Health Systems We Haven't Built Yet
10:30 - 10:50 EDT
The global health architecture is under pressure from every direction: financing models are contested, the workforce is stretched, and the technology wave (from AI diagnostics to remote care) is moving faster than regulation can adapt. WHO has formally endorsed self-care as a strategy to accelerate universal health coverage, the core of SDG 3, and each speaker embodies that shift: Egypt's Health Minister is scaling universal insurance and prevention-first primary care, the WHO Foundation is mobilizing global partnerships behind self-care, and Bayer is expanding self-care access to 100 million underserved people by 2030. This session brings together health leaders to surface the signals that will shape health systems of the future.
Moderator: Ana Carcani Rold, CEO & Publisher, The Diplomatic Courier
Speaker:
- Valerie Boulet, Chief Development Officer of WHO Foundation
- Daniella Foster, SVP & Global Head of Public Affairs, Market Access & Sustainability, Bayer Consumer Health
From Influence to Impact: Football's Power to Shape a More Sustainable, Healthy and Inclusive World
11:00 - 11:20 EDT
Football is the world's most popular sport, reaching people across every region, culture and generation. Its influence extends well beyond the pitch, shaping attitudes, inspiring action and creating conversations on some of the world's most pressing challenges.
The United Nations Football for the Goals (FFTG) initiative brings together nearly 500 football organizations worldwide to harness this global reach in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through advocacy, community engagement and practical action, FFTG members and Champions are demonstrating how football can contribute to more sustainable, inclusive and resilient societies.
This SDG Media Zone conversation will bring together three influential voices from football to explore how the game can drive change on issues ranging from gender equality and women's economic empowerment to racial inclusion, environmental sustainability, mental health and responsible use of social media. The SDG Media Zone convenes influential voices to translate global priorities into compelling public conversations that inspire action.
Moderator: Shaka Hislop, former Premier League, and Trinidad and Tobago international player. Senior Soccer Analyst, ESPN
Speakers:
- Eni Aluko, Former England international and UN Football for the Goals Champion
- Lucas Leiva, Former Brazil international and Liverpool FC legend
- Rishi Jain, Impact Director, Liverpool Football Club
Remembering Our Past, Shaping Our Future: How Disarmament Protects Communities
11:30 - 11:50 EDT
The production, testing, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction creates a long legacy of physical and psychological harm that survivors and their descendants must carry. This session highlights the intergenerational impacts of nuclear weapons on human health and well-being, drawing on the lessons of the past to inform effective disarmament action today and work actively to prevent the threats of tomorrow.
The session will open with a 1-minute trailer of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs's (ODA) new documentary 80 is the Most Dangerous Anniversary, which follows a hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) and a downwinder (impacted by radioactive fallout from nuclear testing) as they meet for the first time at the United Nations. The trailer will be followed by a panel discussion on the imperative of reducing the human cost of weapons; the role of disarmament in advancing human health and well-being; relevant areas of work, including highlighting the ongoing work of the independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War; and how the United Nations has used artistic expression to bring these issues into public consciousness, especially among youth, in ways that encourage remembrance and inspire action.
Moderator: Spencer Cohen, New York Times
Speaker:
- Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
- Frank Chi, Director, "80 is the Most Dangerous Anniversary"
- Liana Liu Ioannides, Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons Programme representative
Beyond Awareness: How Stories Drive Trust and Social Change in the AI Era
12:30 - 12:50 EDT
From Indigenous leadership and public health to entertainment, creators, and AI-powered communications, leaders explore how trust is built, audiences are engaged, and stories inspire meaningful action.
The communications landscape has fundamentally changed. AI is transforming how people discover information, creators have become trusted voices, entertainment increasingly shapes public discourse, and communities expect authentic participation rather than one-way messaging. For mission-driven organizations, success is no longer measured by how many people see a message, but by whether that message builds trust, shifts culture, and inspires action. Bringing together leaders from Indigenous advocacy, behavioral science, strategic communications, public health, entertainment, and the creator economy, this conversation explores how storytelling is evolving—and what organizations must do to create meaningful engagement in an AI-driven world.
Moderator: Shira Lazar, Emmy-Nominated Creator, Founder of What's Trending and Creators 4 Mental Health, 2026 TIME100 Creators Honoree
Speaker:
- Zenaida Yasacama, Kichwa leader, Executive Director, Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance, the largest-ever Indigenous-led Amazon basin conservation initiative
- Elissa Scherer, Programs Lead, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Ivy Sheibar, Vice President of Partnerships, Pique Action
- Justin Markell, Director of Media, The PVBLIC Foundation
Town Hall: Content Creators in Support of the #GlobalGoals
14:00 - 14:45 EDT
Content creators are increasingly shaping how people understand and engage with global issues, using accessible, human-centered storytelling to connect complex conversations with diverse audiences.
During UNGA High-Level Week, creators from different regions, generations, and fields will engage with UN leaders, experts, activists, policymakers, and other changemakers, bringing these conversations back to their communities in their own voices and formats. Building on conversations and experiences from throughout the week, the Town Hall will invite creators to reflect on what they experienced, learned, and found surprising, and explore how creators can broaden engagement with the SDGs, strengthen public understanding, and help move audiences from awareness to action.
Moderator:
Speaker:
- Kati Morton, licensed therapist, bestselling author, and mental health educator
- Dr. Judith Joseph MD, board-certified psychiatrist, researcher, bestselling author, and award-winning TIME100 content creator
- Jack Kelly, founder and CEO of TLDR News
- Kristy Drutman, Co-CEO Green Jobs Board , Founder Browngirl Green, climate activist, environmental media producer, and social entrepreneur
- Sam Bencheghib, entrepreneur, environmental activist, and the co-founder of Sungai Watch and Sungai Design
- Alice Aedy, filmmaker, co-founder & CEO of Earthrise Studio