Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2025: Leaders Unite to Accelerate Action and Shape a Sustainable Future
At a time when the world faces a fragile multilateral order and mounting humanitarian, environmental, and economic crises, the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2025 (SDIM25) emerged as a vital platform to chart a course toward a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.
Held in New York from 22–26 September 2025, alongside the United Nations General Assembly and Global Goals Week, the meetings brought together more than 1,000 leaders — including 70 senior government officials, 22 heads of international organizations, 500 business executives, and 125 civil society representatives — to advance solutions across shared global challenges.
Despite only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being on track for 2030, SDIM25 emphasized urgency, collaboration, and innovation as the world approaches a defining decade for sustainable development.
A Call for Systems that Benefit People, Planet, and Prosperity
“We need to develop systems that foster both business and societal well-being, alongside ecological health,” urged André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman of Roche Holding and Interim Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum.
“There is no prosperity without humanity, and there is no time like the present to find ways to protect sustainability and inclusive growth.”
Echoing this, Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, emphasized the need for resilience amid global turbulence.
“At a crucial moment when our planet is facing complex challenges, we must build resilience to ensure a sustainable and inclusive future for all.”
Humanitarian Strain and the Need for Renewed Multilateralism
Several sessions highlighted the deepening humanitarian funding crisis. Amy Pope, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), warned that “the need for humanitarian assistance is at a scale we’ve never seen before,” citing crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sheba Crocker, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, called for “bottom-up rethinking” to rebuild trust in global cooperation, while Saleh Ahmed Jama, Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, reaffirmed faith in multilateralism as the pathway to collective security and stability.
Victoria Nuland, Professor at Columbia University and former U.S. diplomat, cautioned that without cooperation, “we might walk ourselves back to the brink of great power conflict.”
Economic Transformation: From Disruption to Resilience
The Chief Economists’ Outlook released during SDIM25 revealed a world entering a new economic era defined by disruption across trade, technology, and institutions — with global debt projected to reach 100% of GDP by decade’s end.
Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, emphasized the urgency:
“Leaders must adapt with collaboration to turn today’s turbulence into tomorrow’s resilience.”
Reports unveiled at the event included:
The Trade and Labour Pathways for Decent Work in Kenya’s Digital Economy, exploring equitable job creation in the digital age.
A white paper on workforce reskilling, underscoring the need to prepare workers for green and tech-driven jobs.
Allen Blue, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, noted that “climate change is driving a profound transformation in the world of work,” making green skills the cornerstone of future prosperity.
Climate, Energy, and Health: Confronting Interlinked Crises
Environmental discussions spotlighted the worsening impacts of climate change on health and livelihoods.
A Forum white paper estimated that climate-induced health challenges could cost the global economy $1.5 trillion in lost productivity by 2050.
Sessions on the energy transition and circular economy explored how innovation can reduce material footprints and improve supply chain resilience. The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders called on governments to remove barriers to achieving a “climate-smart economy,” emphasizing that sustainability and profitability can coexist.
At the same time, new initiatives showcased hope:
The Nature Returns Challenge recognized nine innovators reshaping investment for nature.
The Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) unveiled 10 winners of its Inclusive Plastic Action Programme 2025.
The Dominican Republic launched its National Plastic Action Roadmap, targeting 87% reduction in plastic pollution by 2040.
On gender and health, the Global Alliance for Women’s Health convened to define impact strategies in Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond — with Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry joining as a global ambassador to advance women’s midlife health and rights.
Technology and Trust in the Age of Acceleration
As AI and digital innovation redefine industries, SDIM25 emphasized human-centric and responsible technology deployment.
The Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network added 12 new industrial sites, showcasing leadership in digital transformation, sustainability, and workforce empowerment.
A key highlight was the launch of the Human-Machine Collaboration Initiative, promoting intelligent operations that enhance productivity while empowering workers.
Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, said:
“Many benefits will come from smaller developers. That’s why we open-sourced Llama — to democratize innovation.”
However, Sebastian Niles, President and Chief Legal Officer at Salesforce, warned that overly restrictive regulations risked limiting access to transformative technologies:
“The tech becomes less available to citizens and companies if regulatory frameworks don’t enable innovation.”
Turning Dialogue into Action
From climate-smart economies to equitable digital growth, SDIM25 underscored that global challenges are deeply interconnected — and so must be the solutions.
As Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, reflected: “Ten years on from the adoption of the SDGs, the vision of improving lives everywhere in harmony with our planet is under unprecedented strain. But the spirit of global unity must endure.”
The meetings concluded with a shared understanding: real progress requires collaboration, courage, and coordinated action across borders and sectors.
About the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2025
The Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2025, held from 22–26 September in New York, precede the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026. They are part of the Forum’s ongoing commitment to mobilize leaders year-round — driving progress on growth, resilience, and innovation through multi-stakeholder action for a sustainable global future.
