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IDinsight at UNGA

2 September 2024

IDinsight at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) serves as a critical touchpoint for the global development ecosystem to convene and align on efforts made towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

This September, as the world gathered in New York City for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, IDinsight hosted a series of side events to steer conversations on how social sector actors innovate and learn.

From making respect real in development to co-hosting a networking lunch for African social sector leaders to bringing together funders considering high-impact climate donations, our line-up of events was curated to strengthen the social impact ecosystem.

The Dignity Initiative: Making respect real in development

This year, the IDinsight Dignity Initiative convened the event ‘Making Respect Real in Development’. The event, moderated by IDinsight CEO Rebecca Sharp, saw speakers Rakesh Rajani of JustSystems, Cate Oswald of Partners in Health, and Anshu Gupta of Goonj engage in a thoughtful discussion about possible courses of action for actors to build cultures of dignity in development. 

Together, they laid out a practical vision of what it takes to build cultures of dignity in development. We heard about fathers, teachers, first pairs of shoes and systems, and the common, sacred thread of human relationships that run through all of those.

Read IDinsight Dignity Initiative Director Tom Wein’s reflections here.

Spotlight Africa: Networking lunch co-hosted by IDinsight

The Segal Family Foundation (SFF) hosted a three-day event, Spotlight Africa –  a convening space for African leaders and philanthropists who work in Africa – on the sidelines of UNGA this year.

IDinsight co-hosted a networking lunch for stakeholders to connect, inspire, and encourage conversations about the role of data and evidence in decision-making for grantees and impact investors. The event had IDinsight East and Southern Africa Regional Director, Frida Njogu-Ndongwe and CEO of Segal Family Foundation Andy Bryant give opening addresses.

Giving Green: How to drive systemic change via high-impact climate donations

Giving Green’s event on funding high-impact climate mitigation saw 110+ attendees across industries and sectors participating and engaging in discussions of driving systemic change. 

Moderated by IDinsight Chief Economist Dr. Daniel Stein, panelists Jamie Beard of Project InnerSpace, Bruce Friedrich of The Good Food Institute (GFI), and Dominique Thomas of Industrious Labs provided substantive insights during the event. Conversations included centering equity in climate mitigation, the role of oil and gas in scaling geothermal energy, and funding science to transform food systems.