SDIM23: Everything you need to know about Day 1

Welcome to the first day of the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings in New York!
On the agenda today is the global economic outlook and how it relates to the 2030 Agenda to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We’ll also be exploring how health and the climate crisis are connected and looking at ways to finance agricultural growth in Africa.
You can read our deep dive into what to expect here, and join the conversation online using our hashtag #SDIM23.
A now or never moment
SDIM23 comes at a pivotal moment to take stock of progress. This year marks the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda, which will be under discussion at the UN General Assembly.
Amid a ‘polycrisis’ of global challenges, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been slower than required to achieve the timeline laid out in 2015.
To respond to these challenges and to revive momentum on the SDGs, the Forum is convening SDIM under the theme ‘A now or never moment’.
Business leaders, policy-makers, international and civil society organizations, innovators and social entrepreneurs are coming together to create real impact through a series of leadership dialogues.
What you may have missed
We launched the latest edition of the Chief Economist Outlook on 15 September, with 6 out of 10 chief economists expecting the global economy to weaken in the coming year, as momentum remains elusive.
Geopolitics and domestic politics are widely expected to be a source of volatility in the coming year, while there is some optimism over the easing of inflationary pressure.
You can read the full highlights blog here.
The latest Jobs of Tomorrow white paper has also just landed, which takes a look at the potential of artificial intelligence, and Large Language Models (LLMs) in particular, to automate tasks within more than 800 job roles.
It finds 81% of tasks performed by credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks have the potential for automation, whereas 84% of tasks performed in education, guidance and career counselling, and advisors, have low exposure to change.
We have two highlights blogs which look at the jobs AI will create, as well as the report’s main findings.
Today’s sessions
Economic Outlook and the SDG Agenda – 11:15 EDT
What is the outlook for the global economy and what tools are available to policy-makers to accelerate progress on the global development agenda? An economist and Egypt’s minister of economic development discuss this critical topic. Follow the session’s highlights on social media.
Rising geopolitical competition and intensifying conflict are putting economic, environmental and societal priorities at risk at the midway point for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Panelists, including Miroslav Lajcák, Special Representative of the European Union for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and Western Balkans, European Commission, will discuss how leaders can restore the underlying trust necessary to make urgent progress on global priorities.
Exploring the Climate and Health Nexus – 16.15 EDT
Along with the exacerbation and spread of infectious and non-communicable diseases, malnutrition and worsening mental health, climate change is also a health crisis. The CSO of Johnson and Johnson will join the Acting Director, of the US government’s Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, and other experts, to discuss how we can adapt systems to cope with the impact of climate change on health and wellbeing.
Leadership Panel – Bridging the Gap: Financing Africa’s Agricultural Growth – 17:30 EDT
Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury, US Department of the Treasury gives the key note address for a session with Samantha Power, Administrator of USAID, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norway’s Minister of International Development, and Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum where leaders discuss strengthening food value chains in Africa and how donor governments, development finance institutions, African governments, and the private sector can catalyze action to strengthen food value chains in Africa through innovative financing, and better support for small and medium agricultural enterprises.
Launches
Jobs of Tomorrow: Large Language Models and Jobs
Which jobs will have the highest potential for AI automation or augmentation? This and more is covered in this white paper launched on 18 September, looking at the potential of artificial intelligence, and Large Language Models (LLMs) in particular, to automate tasks within more than 800 job roles. Read the highlights here:
Where is the global economy heading in 2024? What regions risk stagflation and what share of economists believe the global inflationary surge will ease. Learn more in this special quarterly report. Read the highlights here.
Source: World Economic forum