The Business Fights Poverty Global Goals Summit 2025, our annual flagship event took place during the 80th UN General Assembly. Over three days, we convened senior leaders from business, civil society, and government in New York and Nairobi, together with a large global online audience.
This year’s theme is Economic Opportunity for All: Decent Jobs and Resilient Livelihoods. In partnership with Barclays, Standard Chartered, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Corporate Responsibility Initiative, and others, we shared practical lessons and co-created solutions for more inclusive and resilient economies.
The Summit also launched a new Business Fights Poverty Institute report, “5 Bridges to 2045,” which sets out how businesses can embed social and environmental impact into their core strategy and operations.
What makes this Summit unique is its interactive format of workshops, clinics, and networking; its inclusive reach through multi-location gatherings and a seamless online experience; and its insightful content from leading voices in business and international development.
We connected with peers, heard from global innovators, and helped shape the next 20 years of business impact.
This session, hosted with Barclays, explored how AI is reshaping the future of work. Hear from workforce development leaders, Per Scholas, Robin Hood, NationSwell, and corporate voices on how they are adapting programmes to equip learners for the jobs of tomorrow while ensuring access to opportunity.
Hear practical insights from innovators bridging AI disruption and workforce readiness, and discover how cross-sector partnerships can create pathways to thriving careers in a rapidly changing economy.
23 Sept | Online | NYC
This fireside chat with Vale explores how the private sector can drive impactful solutions to tackle poverty. Through real-world examples and strategic insights, speakers discussed how businesses can align purpose with profit, scale inclusive initiatives, and collaborate across sectors to create sustainable change for vulnerable communities.
Gain insights into how businesses can create inclusive solutions to tackle poverty, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, align social impact with strategy, and unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth and community resilience.
23 Sept | Online | NYC
Hosted with Walmart, this session explores how to expand MSME growth opportunities in the face of disruption. Examine strategies for strengthening local supplier networks, enhancing capacity, and building resilient value chains that adapt to shocks while generating long-term economic and social value.
Explore practical ways to support MSME growth amid disruption. Gain insights on resilient supply chains, supplier partnerships, and business models that foster innovation, adaptability, and shared prosperity.
23 Sept | Online | NYC
With just five years left to achieve the SDGs, the focus is shifting from promises to practice. This Fireside Chat with Novonesis examines how businesses can embed sustainability into strategy, moving beyond risk and cost management to creating jobs, strengthening livelihoods and delivering long-term business value.
Hear how companies are shifting from “making the case” to “living the case,” aligning with investor expectations, building resilient supply chains and turning sustainability into a driver of inclusive growth and innovation.
23 Sept | Online | NYC
This Fireside Chat with the Business Fights Poverty Institute examines regional perspectives on building economic opportunity through decent jobs and resilient livelihoods. Hear from East African Breweries on their Learning for Life programme and from UN Women on Generation Equality. Gain inspiration and practical lessons on how partnerships can overcome barriers and drive inclusive, sustainable livelihoods.
Learn from regional leaders advancing skills, equality, and opportunity. Discover practical approaches to overcome barriers, foster resilient livelihoods, and drive inclusive growth through business and societal partnerships.
24 Sept | Online | Nairobi
Hosted with Standard Chartered, this panel discussion explores the demand-side ecosystem for employability in Africa. Focusing on market-responsive skills, employer incentives, and decent work, the conversation draws insights from Standard Chartered Foundation, real-world examples from business, policy, and youth leaders.
Explore practical solutions for connecting young people to decent entry-level jobs, hear from employers, policymakers, and youth voices, and identify actions to strengthen inclusive employability across Africa’s fast-changing labour market.
24 Sept | Online | Nairobi
Our Community Clinics and Lunch Panel marked the launch of the Business Fights Poverty Institute report, 5 Bridges to 2045. Together, these sessions explored how business can help shape a fairer, more resilient and sustainable future. Participants examined the five bridges identified in the report connecting social impact to core business, aligning social and environmental agendas, evolving governance, amplifying local voices, and fostering partnerships, through practical examples and peer exchange.
Across the clinics and the lunch dialogue, participants co-created a future-facing timeline, defining concrete actions, commitments and milestones to embed social and environmental impact into business practice by 2045. The lunch panel offered further insights from leading practitioners on how to translate these ideas into systemic change and lasting economic opportunity for all.
This workshop brought together peers and thought leaders to wrap up UNGA80, Climate Week, and the Business Fights Poverty Global Goals Summit. The event featured a moderated conversation among industry peers and key stakeholders.
25 Sept | New York
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We bring together the world’s best thinkers and doers from business, civil society, and international development. Each session is designed to inspire fresh ideas, share practical lessons, and equip you with the tools to drive action.
98% of Summit participants said they learnt something valuable for their work.
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Our Summits are designed to get you involved. Instead of sitting passively in rows, you’ll join interactive workshops, clinics, and conversations that encourage you to contribute, challenge ideas, and build meaningful connections with peers both in-person and online.
97% of participants rated our Summit as “good” or “excellent”.
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Wherever you are in the world, you can take part. With in-person gatherings in multiple locations and a seamless online experience, our hybrid format ensures every voice can be heard and every perspective adds value.
97% of participants said they would recommend the Summit to colleagues.
At this year’s Summit we launched the new Business Fights Poverty Institute report – 5 Bridges to 2045.
The report sets out five critical pathways for how business can embed social and environmental impact into core strategy and operations. Each “bridge” highlights a structural gap limiting progress today and offers practical steps and examples to accelerate change. The Report is designed as a guide for action — helping business leaders and partners prioritise what matters most to build a fairer, more resilient future.
