#OpenDialogue 3 Oct. The Summit of the Future: Reflecting on a pivotal meeting
Happening on Thursday, October 3rd at 5.30pm CET & SAST / 4.30pm UK / 11.30am CET / 8.30am PST. RSVP by registering on Zoom here.
The UN Summit of the Future, scheduled for September 2024, comes at a crucial juncture as our world grapples with a convergence of challenges. This high-level meeting aims to reinvigorate global cooperation and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while recognizing “the opportunity that present generations possess…to meet the demands of the present in a way that safeguards the needs and interests of future generations”. As members of the philanthropic community, it is imperative that we engage with these global discussions and consider our role in shaping a more sustainable and equitable future.
We are pleased to invite you to a special reflection on the future, inspired by the United Nations Summit of the Future taking place in New York during the UNGA in the last week of September. This interactive session will include many of our important coalition partners: Horizon 2045, WINGS Network, Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, the Decolonising Futures Initiative and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Speakers will share insights on the Summit and its key takeaways and address the critical challenges and opportunities ahead.
This is a unique opportunity to engage with leading thinkers at the nexus between future studies and philanthropy whose recent attendance at the Summit of the Future will provide a line of sight into the most important ideas and decisions shaping the future. We will explore how we can most effectively collaborate to contribute to the global agenda set forth by the Summit of the Future.
We look forward to your participation in this important conversation.
Please RSVP by registering on Zoom here.
Conversation guides include:
Benjamin Bellegy is executive director at WINGS, a global network of over 220 organizations supporting and developing philanthropy, giving, and private social investment in 60 countries. Previously, he has led international programs in fields such as civil society strengthening, sustainable development, and post-disaster reconstruction. Bellegy managed international aid programs at France’s main philanthropic institution, Fondation de France, was an attaché in Tunisia for the International Cooperation Agency of Monaco, and worked for several NGOs in Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Canada. He serves on the World Economic Forum advisory committee for partnering with civil society in the fourth industrial revolution, and the steering committees of the OECD Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation and Finance in Common.
Erika Gregory is President of Horizon 2045 supporting visionary leadership on the polycrisis and its effect on human and planetary security. Previously Managing Director of N Square, a funder collaborative and innovation network, Erika spent a decade advancing nuclear disarmament goals before founding H2045 with partners from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Operating at the nexus of strategic foresight, systems analysis, philanthropy and design, Erika and her team are developing frameworks that guide transnational organizations in reimagining the institutions, approaches and infrastructure required for a more secure future. MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey, recently highlighted Horizon 2045’s work in his annual essay: https://www.macfound.org/annual-report/2023/president-essay. Erika is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama.
Pupul Bisht is a multidisciplinary futurist, designer, and recognized thought leader advocating for the power of storytelling in shaping just, inclusive, and equitable futures. She has helped governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations worldwide to meaningfully engage with the communities they serve by facilitating collective reimagination of critical systems, processes, and policies. As the Winner of the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners Award 2018, she founded the Decolonizing Futures Initiative, which aims to engage marginalized communities in imagining their preferred futures. Pupul has spoken at prestigious global platforms such as the 76th United Nations General Assembly, Bavarian Film Centre (Munich), Millenium Technology Prize (Helsinki), ESPAS Conference (Brussels), Publicis Groupe (New York), SDNow Conference (Melbourne). She has also spoken at UNESCO Global Futures Literacy Design Forum (Paris), PRIMER Conference (NYC), and the Global Foresight Summit among many others
Melody Song is the head of philanthropy with EIT Climate-KIC and specializes in international fundraising, prospect management, and nonprofit management. Melody’s career spans over 15 years and several sectors including arts, education, health, animal welfare, and wildlife conservation. Melody is a former MBA faculty teaching member at the Berlin International University.
Nicklas Larsen is a Futurist and facilitator of Futures Literacy at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. He works to cultivate anticipatory capabilities for individuals and organisations through futures and foresight. He speaks, writes, teaches, and advises on futures thinking with an aspiration to democratise futures literacy through arts, culture, and education. He is senior curator for UNESCO’s Futures Literacy Summit, and he has been on the SteerCo for the Future Oriented Museum Synergies network organised by Museum of Tomorrow International. As the Danish node in UNESCO’s Global Futures Literacy Network, Nicklas is committed to establishing the Danish UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Leadership and Futures Capabilities together with Aarhus University as the regional platform for futures literacy and anticipatory practices. Furthermore, he acts as the educational lead on the newly established Tech the Future hub and has integrated futures studies in various curricula across art, design, and business domains in Denmark. Nicklas is behind the interview series “Applied Futurism“, where he explores the future as a source for hope, social innovation, and sustainable development together with pioneers in the field, the ‘Futures shaping art – Art shaping futures’ research project, as well as ‘Using the Future – Embracing Uncertainty, Improving Decision-Making and Democratising Tomorrow’.
Tom Lent, Magician and Master Facilitator has 40 years of experience in six regions of the world in different roles, including leadership and management, facilitation, strategic planning, organizational learning and development and training. He has worked across themes, including human rights, child rights, advocacy, gender, disaster relief, systemic change, and education sector reform; and with diverse entities, including NGOs, CSOs, the UN, local and national governments, foundations, social movements, the World Bank, and the private sector. His intention is to build processes, institutions, organizations and systems that have greater collective impact in their contexts and in the world. He has worked for Business Community Synergies, Inc., UNICEF, the World Bank, USAID, the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, Save the Children (Norway, US and the Alliance), Plan International, the Palestinian Welfare Organization, Peace Corps, Global Rights, the European Foundation Centre, Watchlist for Children and Armed Conflict, and Global Action for Children
