Concordia 2020 – 10th Anniversary Summit Report

October 29, 2020

Concordia has released its 2020 Annual Summit. The event this year – the 10th anniversary summit – took place digitally over five days, convening current and former heads of state, senior government officials, global CEOs, and NGO leaders from around the world. Thousands of attendees, who would usually be present in-person over the course of the summit in New York City, joined from their homes and remote locations.

The report covers those days, looking at diverse themes across the sessions including global finance and trade, Covid-19 and the pandemic response, human rights and equality, technology, education, food security, and the environment. The overriding message was how to take this moment of global transition to “build forward” towards a brighter, more equitable future.

Concordia co-founders Matthew Swift and Nicolas Logothetis introduced the report with the following message:

“The world as we know it is changing. Extreme uncertainty has gripped the globe at an alarming pace over recent months and drastically altered life. But this period of immense upheaval provides fertile ground for opportunity—for advancements in technology and innovation, for solutions that address the climate crisis and help save our planet, and for an end to systemic racism prevalent across every part of our society. While we may not know exactly what lies ahead, one thing remains abundantly clear: the world must unite to tackle a crisis of this scale.

This time last year, we’d wrapped up our ninth Annual Summit in New York City and preparations were well underway to host our largest in-person gathering for our 10th year. Fast forward a few months, and we never imagined that we’d be contemplating a fully-digital Annual Summit. But, for Concordia, there was no other option. When it felt like so much of the world had come to a standstill, we continued forward. We recognized the dire need for dialogue, collaboration, and unity, and we knew that we couldn’t afford to wait.

Our 10th Annual Summit took place over five days and brought together current and former heads of state, senior government officials, global CEOs, and NGO leaders doing essential work on the front lines of so many critical issues. In line with our mission, we placed high on our agenda the need to elevate those traditionally-excluded and emerging voices, and we sparked much-needed multifaceted collaboration among leaders, sectors, industries, states, and countries.

As always, we couldn’t have pulled this off without the support of our community. Thank you to our Leadership Council for their integral role in shaping Concordia into what it is today. Thank you to our Members, Sponsors, Partners, Advisors, Speakers, and Board for their dedication, insight, and expertise. And thank you to the thousands of attendees who joined us from their living rooms, home offices, and dining room tables. We look forward to working with you all over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for our 2020 Africa and Americas Summits, and pave the way for a successful 2021 and beyond.”

To access the report and read more about the 2020 Summit, please click here.

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