Close to 1,000 leaders from government, business, international organizations, civil society and academia will gather in New York for the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2026 (SDIM26), from 21 to 24 September.
The gathering brings around 100 government and international organization leaders, more than 500 business executives and over 100 civil society leaders, alongside representatives from academia to advance solutions to shared opportunities and challenges, with a particular focus on long-term impact and building momentum before the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2027, says WEF press note.
Taking place alongside the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, the meetings will focus on how to foster resilient growth, build new partnerships that mobilize capital for the greatest impact, and responsibly deploy artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies to create economic and societal value.
With global growth under pressure from geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological advances opening new opportunities, SDIM26 will convene high-level leaders in action-oriented working sessions bringing together the Forum’s long-standing communities. Discussions will focus on identifying where progress is possible and turning dialogue into collective action, with a particular focus on long-term impact and building momentum towards the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2027, it said.
“Economic growth and sustainable development should not be seen as competing objectives. The challenge is how to create growth that is resilient enough to endure future shocks and broad enough to create opportunity,” said Alois Zwinggi, President and CEO, World Economic Forum.
The programme will include sessions on the future of humanitarian action and impact investment, inclusive economic growth, the green and blue economies, climate action, the global gender gap and AI’s role in the economy.
New Forum research will be published during the week, including the Chief Economists’ Outlook and Chief Sustainability Officers’ Outlook, and reports on green and resilient data centres, valuing impact and the effects of extreme heat on workers, it reads.
