During the opening of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, and as part of UN Global Compact Uniting Business LIVE, the Global Futures Laboratory at ASU, in partnership with the Thunderbird International School of Global Management, is hosting an online content studio from September 21st to 23rd. Uniting Business LIVE will convene leaders from business, government, and civil society to showcase their commitment to the UN’s mission, drive business ambition on the SDGs, take stock of the state of the world, and highlight actionable solutions.

The Global Futures Laboratory is featuring two panels on Monday, September 21st.

Panel 1: Carbon Drawdown: The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity for Business
As catastrophic climatic events accelerate and concerns intensify, the private sector is moving to the forefront of climate action. Reducing risks and capitalizing on opportunities are key. Technological breakthroughs in direct air capture of carbon dioxide (so-called negative emissions) present a trillion-dollar opportunity for business and material concern for boards.

Paul Polman (Welcoming Remarks) - UNGC Vice Chair; Co-Founder of Imagine
Amanda Ellis (Moderator) - Director, Global Partnerships, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, ASU
Helle Bank Jorgensen - Founder & CEO, Competent Boards
Erika Karp - Founder & CEO, Cornerstone Capital Group
Klaus Lackner - Director, Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, ASU
Peter Schlosser - VP and Vice Provost of Global Futures, ASU

This panel discussion is co-hosted by Competent Boards, which offers the global online Competent Boards Certificate Program for Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance, with a faculty of over 95 renowned international board members; executives, and experts.

Panel 2: Preventing the Next Pandemic
As the world grapples with the fallout of COVID-19, the question becomes, how can we take lessons learned and use them to prevent, or at minimum, mitigate the impact of a future pandemic? Join our panel of experts as they discuss the myriad ways we can harness science, technology, and innovation to address the most complex of global pandemic-related challenges.

George Poste (Moderator) - Regents Professor, Del E. Webb Professor of Health Innovation; Chief Scientist, ASU’s Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative
Alex Dehgan - CEO and Co-Founder, Conservation X Labs; Global Futures Fellow, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, ASU
Tara O’Toole - Executive VP and Senior Fellow, In-Q-Tel
Annie Sparrow - Assistant Professor, Population Health Science & Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Special Advisor to the Director-General World Health
Neal Woodbury - ASU Knowledge Enterprise, Interim Executive VP, Chief Science and Technology Officer

ASU's partnership with UNGC brings a unique opportunity -- free registration ($299 value) to three days of dynamic programming for UNGC Uniting Business LIVE. Sign up HERE.