GCNS Virtual Summit 2020 - Day 1

COVID-19 has slowed progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and different economies will recover from this at different times.

In order for the world to emerge relatively unscathed from this crisis, it will require coordinated efforts between countries, within communities and the business community.

• What is the critical role of multi-stakeholder partnerships in the recovery from COVID-19?
• How can we get back on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals?

Speaker:

• 
  Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development, Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration, Member of Parliament West Coast GRC, Republic of Singapore
   

We're reimagining what a Virtual Summit could be.
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We have 10 years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Though significant progress has been made since 2015, there is still much to be done vis-a-vis urgent climate action, rapid digitalisation, ageing populations, and evolving geopolitical and trade scenarios.

There is an urgent need for businesses to step up and circle back to being purpose-driven: addressing societal needs while also being financially resilient.

• What does it mean to be a purpose-driven business and how can this translate into tangible business actions?
• How can being purpose-driven increase business resilience?
• What does being purpose-driven mean in a post-COVID-19 and rapidly digitalising world?
• How can companies (both large and small) transform themselves to be resilient to business risks?

Speakers:

• 
  Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd
   
• 
  Mr Pascal De Petrini, Chairman Asia, Danone Asia Pte Ltd
   

Moderator:

• 
  Ms Melissa Kwee, Chief Executive Officer, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
   

We're reimagining what a Virtual Summit could be.
Stay tuned for more details!

Uncertainty is the new certainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed and will continue to change the world and the way we work and live. Simultaneously, leaders are navigating disruptions from climate change, artificial intelligence, and automation. Futures thinking is an approach to explore the major changes that will happen in the next 10 to 20 years, and how to respond. In this one-hour interactive Futures Taster Session, we will introduce participants to Futures thinking and provide an opportunity to explore a Futures tool via one case study.

This session will be led by Forum for the Future, a leading international sustainability non-profit, and one of the first started the 1990s to work with business to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Forum for the Future has offices in New York, London, Mumbai and Singapore, and holds partnerships with some of the largest multinationals in the world including Unilever, Marks&Spencer, Amazon, and Target.

Speakers:

• 
  Ms Ariel Muller, Director, Asia Pacific, Forum For The Future
   

Travel with us to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vermont in the United States! Get a glimpse behind the scenes on how your ice-cream is produced.

Hear from Ben & Jerry's Head of Asia and New Markets on how they have built and grown their business on enduring principles of creating linked prosperity for everyone in their ecosystem.

Speakers:

• 
  Ms Kalli Swaik, Head of Asia and New Markets, Ben & Jerry's
   

Moderator:

• 
  Mr Roger James Hamilton, Founder and CEO, Genius Group
   

The global need to innovate and to sustainably feed our planet has become an imperative.

In Asia, the food industry will need to transform over the next decade in response to population growth and changing consumer requirements, as well as to other global challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation.

Learn the steps we can take to bring us closer to achieving the SDGs: to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, as well as promote sustainable agriculture.

Speakers:

• 
  Professor Paul Teng, Adjunct Senior Fellow (Food Security), Centre for non-Traditional Security Studies, RSIS Nanyang Technological University Singapore
   
• 
  Mr Paul Nicholson, Vice President, Rice Research and Sustainability, Olam International
   
• 
  Ms Fengru Lin, Chief Executive Officer, TurtleTree Labs
   

Moderator:

• 
  Mr Armen Harutyunyan, Senior Advisor, UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development
   

Curious about what a carbon footprint really means? Or how much carbon is emitted in your daily activities?

Through this interactive workshop, gain insights on the changes you can make to cut your carbon footprint, and how to advocate for decisive change in your community.

Speaker:

• 
  Ms Kirstyn Byrne, Food Designer