UNGA season is back, and the 80th Session will be a big one! With a focus on the UN80 Initiative, the inaugural Biennial Summit on the Global Economy (Action 48 in the Pact for the Future), a Climate Summit, artificial intelligence, food crises and conflicts across the planet, and the General Debate, the following overviews spotlight a few not-to-miss events, co-organized by GGIN and partners in late September and early October 2025. So block your calendars, and please watch this space for more highlights, including registration links, in the coming days!

Scalable Alternative Governance and Business Models for a Fair Data Economy: A Deep-Dive on Data Cooperatives and Digital Infrastructure Solutions for Data Agency

📆📍Tuesday, September 16, 4:00 PM –7:30 PM EDT | 205 E 42nd St, New York City, NY 10017

📲 In-Person Event, Register Here

In the lead-up to the UN International Year of Cooperatives in 2025, this high-level roundtable (led by the Global Solutions Initiative, a long-standing partner of the T20) and workshop will convene global policymakers, civil society leaders, academics, funders, and technologists to highlight key alternative data governance and business models to the current highly centralized digital economy. Data is the backbone of every technology, including artificial intelligence and the digital systems that shape our economies, governance, and lives. However, the prevailing model treats data as a commodity to be extracted and optimized for profit only by a few.

Global Fractures 2035: The Future of Emerging Risks at UNGA@80

📆📍Friday, September 19, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT | New York City

📲By Invite Only, Contact [email protected] | [email protected]

Organized by RAKSHA Intelligence Futures and the Global Cooperation Institute, this closed-door dialogue will launch Global Fractures 2035. The session will convene senior leaders, investors, and policy actors to examine how aid breakdowns, climate shocks, financial instability, and legitimacy crises are reshaping the global cooperation paradigm. The objective is to spotlight the fractures driving this emerging risk landscape and explore what forms of intelligence and partnership are needed to navigate the decade ahead.

CIVICUS Partners Meet & Greet

📆📍Friday, September 19, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT |  CIVICUS Office, WeWork 4th Floor, 450 Lexington Ave, New York

📲 Register Here

Join CIVICUS for an informal evening with CIVICUS Board members, colleagues, and partners. This will be a space to connect, share, and strengthen our community ties on the margins of UNGA 80. Light bites and drinks will be provided. 

When you submit the registration form, it will not automatically collect your details, such as name and email address, unless you provide it yourself.

Host: CIVICUS

Bridging the Gap: FFD4 and G20 Solutions for Sustainable Development Finance

📆📍Saturday, September 20, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EDT | Permanent Mission of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations (845 3rd Avenue New York, NY 10022)

To RSVP, please send an email to [email protected]  (Note: This meeting is for T20 member organizations. If you wish to learn more about the T20, please visit the T20 Social Meet-up on Saturday, September 20, from 5-7 pm at Rosie Dunn's at 729 3rd Ave, between 45th and 46th streets; we will be on the 2nd floor).

The global development finance landscape is at a critical juncture, facing immense pressure and a growing gap in funding needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Developing countries, in particular, struggle with debt, limited access to private finance and the systemic challenge of illicit financial flows (IFFs). In this context, the T20 South Africa and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) invite you to a high-level roundtable on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 2025. This engagement will provide a vital platform for dialogue on the future of development finance, reflecting on the outcomes of the UN's Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) and drawing key complementarities with the G20. This is a unique opportunity to engage with representatives from UN Member States, the T20 Taskforce on Financing for Sustainable Development, International Financial Institutions, and other global and regional organisations. By engaging a broad range of stakeholders, this roundtable will champion overlapping issues and build momentum ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit.

We look forward to your participation as we work together to secure a more sustainable and equitable future.

Host: The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)

Due to limited capacity, registration is essential.

Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) NYC Rooftop Reception | UNGA 80 High-Level Week

📆📍Sunday, September 21, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT | Jay Suites Grand Central Rooftop | 369 Lexington Ave (corner of Lexington & 41st), Grand Central Rooftop, NYC

📲 Register Here

The Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) Reception will bring together delegates and NGO representatives at the start of UNGA 80 High-Level Week for a collegial meet and greet, introducing Dr. Adam Lupel as C4UN's new Executive Director.

Once you register, your attendance is confirmed, and no further approval is required. A reminder with full details will be shared with you ahead of the reception.

Host: Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN)

Please note that registration will close once venue capacity is reached. We look forward to welcoming you.

IT'S HER TURN: Tracking UN Member States' Commitments

📆📍Monday, September 22, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM EDT | UN Church Centre, 8th floor conference room

📲 Hybrid Event, Register Here

The upcoming selection of the next United Nations Secretary-General presents a pivotal opportunity to promote gender equality and feminist leadership at the highest level of multilateralism. Despite 80 years of UN history, no woman has ever held this role. To address this gap, the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), in partnership with 1 for 8 Billion, NYU Center for Global Affairs, Nobel Women’s Initiative, and other civil society allies, will convene a strategic meeting to advance advocacy for the appointment of a feminist woman Secretary-General. The discussion will feature key findings from GNWP’s Member State tracking initiative and explore collaborative strategies to influence the 2026 selection process.

The Ethical Imperative of Earth Governance

📆📍Monday, September 22, 3:15 PM - 4:15:00 PM EDT | Bahá'í International Community, United Nations Office, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017

To RSVP, please email [email protected]

This event is a collaborative effort by the Climate Governance Commission and the initiative "Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance" (MEGA). It is designed to foster a collective and deep listening to the ethical and civilizational dilemmas imposed by the climate crisis, drawing on the call for a new, ethics-informed approach to Earth governance. Our current reliance on national climate commitments in a competitive economic and political environment is proving insufficient to protect our common climate and Earth system. The principles and values shared across faiths and philosophies—such as justice, reciprocity, social responsibility, and guardianship—provide an ethical foundation for building the effective global governance we need. This dialogue will explore how these principles can inform and strengthen our collective climate action. We will convene a diverse and sensitive synthesis of voices, bringing together leading thinkers and practitioners from philosophy, religion, business, climate activism, and climate law. The objective is to create a powerful and actionable output statement on the need for ethics-informed Earth governance as an ethical imperative of our time. The findings from this event will be officially submitted to the Global Ethical Stocktake process, contributing to a global chorus of civil society perspectives for COP30.

Registration is required to attend this event. 

High-level panel: "A New Vision for Global Leadership: Selecting the Next UN Secretary-General”

📆📍Tuesday, September 23, 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM EDT | The Trusteeship Chamber, UNHQ

📲 Register Here

The International Peace Institute (IPI) and the Government of Estonia, in partnership with 1 for 8 Billion, the United Nations Association of the UK (UNA-UK), and CIVICUS, are pleased to invite you to a high-level policy forum on “A New Vision for Global Leadership: Selecting the Next UN Secretary-General." The event will feature keynote remarks by the President of Estonia, H.E. Alar Karis, followed by a dynamic panel discussion. The panel will be chaired by IPI President Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

Co-hosts: IPI, 1 for 8 Billion, Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN, UNA-UK, CIVICUS

Please note in order to receive a UN pass to attend this event, you must register no later than 5pm on September 16th.

Democratic Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance for Global Peace and Prosperity

📆📍Tuesday, September 23, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT | DLA Piper (27th Floor, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020-1104)

📲 By Invite Only

Organized by Club de Madrid, in collaboration with Regulating AI, this roundtable will convene a select group of Club de Madrid Members, senior UN officials, AI governance experts, and key representatives from governments, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society. The objective is to explore how democratic values can be embedded in AI governance to protect human rights, foster global cooperation, and ensure that AI is developed and deployed as a global public good.

UNGA@80 Pact Innovation Forum High-Level Breakfast Dialogue

📆📍Wednesday, September 24, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM EDT | Baha’i International Community New York Office (866 United Nations Plaza #120) at the corner of 48th St. and 1st Ave

📲 Hybrid Event, Register for online participation here. Kindly note that in-person participation is by invitation only.

This High-Level Breakfast Dialogue, involving the OPGA, EOSG, GGIN, C4UN, T20, and senior representatives from capitals, will advance discussions on Pact for the Future follow-through and monitoring – including connections to the UN Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative – through the new Pact Innovation Forum. The Pact Innovation Forum is an informal, multistakeholder platform designed to help realize the full potential of the Pact for the Future, Declaration on Future Generations, and Global Digital Compact’s actions and commitments. Partly showcased in the Global Governance Innovation Report 2025, it features two flagship activities: a Pact Innovation Plan  (providing practical guidance, visualizations, and evidence-based options to facilitate Pact follow-through) and a Pact Monitoring Toolkit (pulling together existing, as well as proposed new, indicators to complement official efforts to gauge progress on the road to the official September 2028 Pact for the Future review). Confirmed headline speakers for this dialogue include María Fernanda Espinosa (73rd President of the General Assembly), Ibrahim Gambari (Former Nigerian Foreign Minister and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs), Maiara Folly (Executive Director of Plataforma CIPÓ), Amb. Sani Bala (Executive Director, Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development), and Nudhara Yusuf (Co-Chair of the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Support of the Summit of the Future).

The breakfast dialogue is co-sponsored by the Pact Innovation Forum, the Global Governance Innovation Network, The Stimson Center, the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development, Plataforma CIPÓ, and the Baha'i International Community.

What Will It Take to Elect a Madam Secretary General?

📆📍Wednesday, September 24, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM EDT | Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (320 East 43rd Street New York, NY 10017)

📲 Register Here

In 2025, the international community marks two defining milestones: the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly—a moment that coincides with the selection of the next UN Secretary-General. Despite decades of progress in advancing women’s rights, the highest ranks of global leadership in the international system remain overwhelmingly male-dominated.

The United Nations, founded eighty years ago, has yet to appoint a woman Secretary-General. After eight decades and nine male leaders, the call for a Madam Secretary-General is more timely—and necessary—than ever.

Systemic underrepresentation of women in multilateralism is not a matter of perception; it is a matter of fact. The 2025 edition of the GWL Voices report, “Women in Multilateralism”,  provides the most recent and comprehensive evidence of persistent gender disparities in leadership across the multilateral system. The findings reaffirm the urgency of structural reform and bold action to achieve parity in global governance.

This high-level event aims to elevate this issue on the international agenda by convening leaders from across sectors and regions to examine both the barriers and the opportunities to transformational leadership in multilateralism.

Host: GWL Voices

For more information, please visit www.gwlvoices.org

High-level Panel "The road to Environmental Justice: Financing women's rights”

⭐️ NY Climate Week

📆📍Thursday, September 25, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT | Nuveen - 730 Third Avenue

📲 Register Here

There has been increasing recognition that gender equality and women's rights must be central to climate action at all levels and in all stages, from international climate governance to the structure of the global climate finance architecture, and local implementation. As we approach COP 30, we find ourselves at a critical time for spotlighting the conversation around women and climate, as Parties will decide upon UNFCCC's new Gender Action Plan (GAP) in Belém. The panel will gather government officials, experts in climate finance, and gender equality advocates to explore financial (and other) tools to foster climate and environmental justice that supports women's rights and power to decide.

Host: GWL Voices

Co-hosts: GWL Voices, Plataforma CIPÓ, Baháí International Community, Women Deliver

The Struggle for Accountability in Global Governance

📆📍Thursday, September 25, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT |  The New School, 63 Fifth Avenue, Lecture Hall UL105

📲 In-Person Event, Register Here

World order is crumbling; how can the United Nations and its multilateral agreements be a meaningful platform for equity and justice? The Graduate Programs in International Affairs at The New School is hosting back-to-back sessions that spotlight the nature of the problem and vehicles for confronting them.

4:00 PM-5:15 PM: Women in Multilateralism This panel, organized in conjunction with Global Women Leaders Voices, will evaluate the recent history of women in multilateralism, from the Beijing+30 conference to current efforts to elect a woman as next United Nations Secretary-General in 2026 amid UN80 and other reform initiatives. After panelists remarks, there will be a question and answer period.

5:30 PM-7:00 PM: Pact for the Future Monitoring Tool In September 2024, United Nations members signed The Pact for the Future, an agreement to reform the organization and make it “fit for purpose” in the 21^st century. A joint New School Graduate Programs in International Affairs and Stimson Center project has taken a novel approach to tracking progress of the timely Pact goals as showcased in the Global Governance Innovation Report 2025.  A feedback period will follow the presentation.

"Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress" - Global Launch of the Future of International Cooperation Report 2025

📆📍Friday, September 26, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EDT |  International Peace Institute

📲 Hybrid Event, sign up in-person here and online here. 

This UNGA@80 side event will spotlight the new Future of International Cooperation Report 2025 (FIC’25) on "Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress." It will highlight global and regional collective action to bridge and overcome the stark justice gaps found today within and between countries, including bold policy and institutional reform proposals to reduce inequality, underdevelopment, and injustice. The dialogue will feed directly into preparations for the Second World Summit for Social Development (4–6 November 2025, Doha) and enrich policy debates at the Doha Forum 2025 (6–7 December). Speaking directly to the World Social Summit’s focus on poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social inclusion — as well as follow-through to the Summit of the Future and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development — FIC’25 examines and seeks to innovate the future of political-judicial, socioeconomic, and environmental dimensions of justice.

Speakers include: Dr. Zeid Al-Hussain, President and CEO, International Peace Institute and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mubarak Al-Kuwari, Executive Director, Doha Forum; Dr. Ahmad Hasnah, President, Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Ambassador (Dr.) Mohamed Chihi, Executive-Director, Global Institute for Strategic Research at Hamad Bin Khalifa University; Brenda Mofya, Director, Oxfam International United Nations Office; H.E. Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals; Dr. Richard Ponzio, Senior Fellow and Director, Global Governance, Justice & Security Program, Stimson Center and Co-Director of the Global Governance Innovation Network; and Dr. Jenna Russo, Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations.

This event will launch the Future of International Cooperation Report 2025 co-sponsored by the Stimson Center, Doha Forum, and the Global Institute for Strategic Research. (Click here for more information)

The Future We Agreed – One Year of the Pact, sustaining momentum and ambition at UN80

📆📍Friday, September 26, 08:30 AM check-in, session from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT | In person by invitation at Ford Foundation, Caceres Room 320 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017 Ford Foundation, Caceres Room, 320 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017

📲 Hybrid Event, Register Here

On behalf of the co-sponsoring partners – Coalition for the UN We Need, UN Foundation, UN University Center for Policy Research, Global Governance Innovation Network, Stimson Center, Global Women Leaders Voices, Baha’i International Community, Project Starling, Oxfam International, School of International Futures, Future of Climate Cooperation, SDG Kenya Forum, ImPact Coalition on Future Generations, Igarapé Institute, NGOCSD-NY, Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project, and the International Alliance of Women – we are honored to invite you to a high-level dialogue marking one year since the adoption of the Pact for the Future, on the occasion of the United Nations’ 80th anniversary.

At the Summit of the Future in 2024, Member States came together to adopt the Pact for the Future alongside its critical annexes: the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact. This was a historic moment of collective will, signaling renewed multilateral commitment to global solidarity, sustainability, inclusion, and digital cooperation. One year later, during the landmark 80th anniversary of the United Nations, the Pact’s implementation remains both urgent and unfinished, as the UN faces considerable budgetary challenges with plans to implement austerity measures. While important steps have been taken, to embed the Pact into institutional processes (including a Group of Friends on Future Generations, an AI advisory board, ImPact Coalitions, monitoring and tracking efforts and other mobilizing at the regional and global level), gaps remain in ensuring inclusive follow-through, financing, and accountability mechanisms that can carry its ambition into tangible action. This session will provide an opportunity, on the sidelines of UN80 high-level week, to take stock of progress and spotlight the path ahead. Bringing together governments, UN leaders, and civil society, the dialogue will highlight innovations, challenges, and the continuing role of champions in sustaining momentum for the Pact’s vision.

RSVP in-person by sending an email to [email protected]

Syria Forward: Building Foundations to Address the Political, Security, Economic and Social Challenges & Possible Contributions from the International Community

📆📍Monday, September 29, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT | The Stimson Center

📲 Hybrid Event, By Invite Only

Syria stands at a pivotal moment. After years of devastation under Assad’s rule and a prolonged civil war, the country now faces the monumental task of rebuilding its institutions, economy, and infrastructure while restoring social cohesion. Nevertheless, Syrians hold high expectations, while the United Nations and the broader international community are well-positioned to play a crucial role in shaping the country’s future. To advance this dialogue, the Global Institute for Strategic Research (GISR) in Doha and the Med-Or Foundation in Rome have convened two high-level forums earlier this year in Doha (February 18, 2025) and Rome (May 29, 2025), laying the critical groundwork for a path forward. Building on these discussions, the upcoming forum in Washington, D.C., organized in collaboration with the Stimson Center, will bring together distinguished experts to generate actionable recommendations for Syria’s multifaceted recovery. This invite-only event features two closed expert roundtables, each featuring concise presentations from leading speakers, followed by a Q&A session and a wrap-up discussion. 

For further information, please contact Rebecca Snyder ([email protected]).

Reimagining Global Order: Perspectives from Professor Amitav Acharya and Dr. Trita Parsi

📆📍Wednesday, October 1, 9:30 AM -11:00 AM EDT | The Stimson Center

📲 Hybrid Event, Register Here

As the UN marks the start of its ninth decade amid wars, the climate crisis, and AI risks, global order is in flux. New perspectives are now emerging on reimagining multilateralism to better address deepening inequality and injustice. Bringing unique perspectives to the challenge of a reimagined global order, American University Distinguished Professor of International Relations Dr. Amitav Acharya will introduce his new book The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West, and Quincy Institute Executive Vice President Dr. Trita Parsi will share recommendations from the Better Order Project: Toward a Better Security Order. Following expert discussant remarks by Heather Hurlburt, former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Trade Representative and Associate Fellow, Chatham House, the session's chair and Director of the Stimson Center's Global Governance, Justice & Security Program, Dr. Richard Ponzio, will moderate a brief dialogue on reimagining global order before opening-up to Q&A. (Click here for more information) This event is co-sponsored by the Academic Council on the United Nations System and the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area.