T20 U.S. Summit
in New York
Under the banner of “Harnessing Knowledge and Ensuring Continuity for Better Policymaking in Uncertain Times,” the T20 U.S. will convene, in hybrid format hosted by the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (with anticipated sessions held across the street at United Nations Headquarters), a large and internationally diverse T20 Summit from 18-19 November in New York.
As per custom, the gathering aspires to produce a final T20 U.S. Communiqué (combining, in a synthesized format, chief recommendations from both the Workstreams and Advisory Council) for wide public promotion in the run-up to the G20 Summit from 14-15 December 2026 in Miami.
Over two days, the Summit will gather leaders from international think tanks, leading universities, governments (including senior G20 policy-makers and UN Permanent Representatives), other civil society and private sector G20 engagement groups (from the W20, L20, F20, U20, B20, Y20, and G20 Interfaith Forum), and United Nations headquarters, located across the street from the main Summit venue. The overarching goal of the T20 is to better inform, bridge, and sustain the varying yet significant priorities of Member States, by drawing on common principles such as sustainability, equality, and peace to guide T20 engagements.
The T20 U.S. Summit will feature insightful keynote addresses and fireside chats, engaging panel discussions featuring both T20 scholars and leading practitioners, and carefully curated, outcome-oriented small-group “deep-dive sessions,” providing opportunities for networking and robust intellectual, policy-oriented exchanges on the future of the G20 and formal multilateral institutions.
18-19 November 2026 (9 am – 6 pm EDT – New York) in hybrid format from the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (320 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017) and UN Headquarters.
The T20 Summit will highlight the implications of the network’s activities for the U.K.’s 2027 G20 Presidency, supporting continuity into the next G20/T20 cycle.
Agenda
| Time | Day 1 — November 18, 2026 |
|---|---|
| 8:45 - 9:30 am | Guest Arrivals / Registration / Light Breakfast & Coffee |
| 9:30 - 9:45 am | Welcome Remarks / Introductions |
| 9:45 - 10:15 am | Opening Plenary: Keynote Address & Moderated Panel: The United Nations and G20: Global Governance at a Crossroads |
| 10:15 - 11:00 am | Panel 1: Fostering Trade and People-Centered Economic Growth |
| 11:00 - 11:15 am | Coffee-Tea Break |
| Time |  Room 1 |
Room 2 |
Auditorium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:15 am - 12:30 pm | Deep Dive 1A [Topic TBD] | Deep Dive 1B [Topic TBD] | Deep Dive 1C [Topic TBD] |
| 12:30 - 1:30 pm | Lunch Provided | ||
| 1:30 - 2:15 pm | Panel 2: Safeguarding Energy Security and Resilience | ||
| 2:15 - 3:00 pm | Panel 3: Governing AI and other Innovative Technologies | ||
| 3:00 - 3:15 pm | Coffee-Tea Break | ||
Room 1 Room 2 Auditorium| Time | Room 1 |
Room 2 |
Auditorium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:15 - 4:30 pm | Deep Dive 2A [Topic TBD] | Deep Dive 2B [Topic TBD] | Deep Dive 2C [Topic TBD] |
| 4:30 - 4:45 pm | Fireside Chat | ||
| 4:45 - 5:00 pm | Fireside Chat | ||
| 5:00 - 6:00 pm | Report Backs from Deep Dives 1 and 2, Discussion, and T20 U.S. Communiqué Design | ||
| 6:00 pm | Guests Depart for Reception | ||
| 6:00 - 7:00 pm | Reception at a UN Mission | ||
Room 1 Room 2 AuditoriumT20 Workstreams to be showcased at the Summit
1
Fostering Trade and People-Centered Economic Growth
This thematic area will consider ways to further facilitate and innovate both global multilateral (World Trade Organization) and plurilateral trade arrangements, to better leverage the potential “win-win” benefits while mitigating against any risks or “public bads” associated with international trade. It will further focus on assessing regulatory challenges, such as duplicative regulations or high compliance costs, that may hamper international economic growth initiatives and cooperation.
2
Safeguarding Energy Security and Resilience
This thematic area will identify the means and mechanisms for building resilient energy sources and reliable access to affordable energy. It will also aim to advance concrete policy and institutional reform proposals on a just green energy transition and the scaling-up of affordable energy infrastructure.
3
Governing AI and other Innovative Technologies
This thematic priority will focus on advancing the responsible development and diffusion of new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, biotech, quantum computing, etc.), including by securing trade access and the infrastructure needed to participate in a digitized global economy. It will also focus on the fair trade of minerals so central to technological process and the future of compute. Finally, it will engage on regulatory questions around global and regional governance of artificial intelligence and digital public infrastructure, as well as concerns and opportunities about global cooperation across the "AI Stack."
4
Mobilizing Finance and Tackling Debt Constraints, including through International Financial Architecture Reform
This thematic area will focus on strengthening G20 action commitments on global economic governance and international financial architecture reform, including debt relief and climate resilience, by assessing existing global and regional governance gaps and proposing common action and new innovations on policies and institutions.
5
Sustaining and Strengthening Global Coordination on Socioeconomic Development and Peacebuilding
Building on action plans developed for the recent September 2024 Summit of the Future, July 2025 Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, and November 2025 World Social Summit, this thematic priority will focus on innovations for strengthening global cooperation in the social development and peacebuilding domains. It will give special attention to issues ranging from fighting inequality, gender empowerment, and pandemic response to Security Council reform, norms surrounding the use of force, and enhancing the UN's peacebuilding toolkit.
