NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 – The Atlantic Council will host the first annual Atlantic Council Global Future Forum in New York on September 24, 2024, bringing together diverse and influential leaders to chart the way forward on the world’s defining challenges—and to spotlight the people, forces, and ideas shaping the world. 

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Global Future Forum will address critical issues such as geopolitical risk, artificial intelligence, US foreign policy, the rise of authoritarianism, innovations in sustainable development, the fate of the world’s oceans, and the nexus between global health and economics. Through a series of high-level panel discussions and keynote addresses, the forum will focus on shaping the future in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. 

 “We live at an inflection point in history—one in which the geopolitical and economic choices that we make today will set the course for years to come,” said Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council. “The Global Future Forum will build on the Atlantic Council’s mission to explore collaborative solutions to the defining challenges of our time. This moment demands that governments and the private sector work together to ensure a secure and prosperous future.” 

Confirmed speakers at the Global Future Forum include:  

  • Condoleezza Rice, sixty-sixth US secretary of state (joining virtually) 
  • Daniel Noboa, president of the Republic of Ecuador 
  • Kevin Rudd, ambassador of Australia to the United States 
  • Jessye Lapenn, ambassador and senior coordinator for Atlantic cooperation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, US Department of State 
  • Renata Vargas Amaral, secretary for international affairs and development, Ministry of Planning and Budget, Brazil 
  • Alicia Montalvo, manager of climate action and positive biodiversity, Development Bank of Latin America  
  • Paula J. Dobriansky, former US under secretary of state for global affairs 
  • Dave Levy, vice president, worldwide public sector, Amazon Web Services 
  • Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, national leader of Belarus 
  • Jason Rezaian, writer, Global Opinions and former Tehran bureau chief, The Washington Post 
  • Jean Lee, co-host, The Lazarus Heist, BBC World Service; former Pyongyang bureau chief, the Associated Press (joining virtually) 
  • Ed Wong, diplomatic correspondent and former Beijing bureau chief, The New York Times 
  • Mikhail Zygar, founding editor in chief, Dozhd (TV Rain) 
  • Tamara Schudel, vice president and head of global policy, Roche 
  • Balkissa Idé Siddo, public policy director for sub-Saharan Africa, Meta 
  • Austin Gallagher, founder and chief scientist, Beneath The Waves 
  • Almaz Negash, president, African Diaspora Network 
  • Eric Guichard, founder and CEO, Homestrings 
  • Abdulai Jalloh, founder and president, Bordernation 
  • Audu Maikori, co-founder and executive vice chairman, Chocolate City Group 

The Global Future Forum will feature a variety of panels and speeches. Topics will include:  

  • African diasporas: The global force shaping tomorrow’s innovations 
  • The health-economy nexus: How innovation can future-proof health systems and economies 
  • Voices of freedom: Bolstering the fight for democracy in Belarus and beyond  
  • America and the world: The perils of isolationism 
  • Reporters at risk: Supporting truth tellers in an age of rising authoritarianism 
  • Sustainable development: How Latin America and the Caribbean are pioneering solutions to global challenges 
  • Our oceans’ future: Sustaining the world’s most important resource 
  • Artificial intelligence: Global diplomacy at the digital frontier 

Additional speakers and sessions will be added to the agenda as they are confirmed. Please check for agenda updates on our Global Future Forum website. 

The Global Future Forum is open to the press and will be streamed live online. Members of the media are encouraged to attend the 2024 Global Future Forum in New York or watch online.  

All media representatives must RSVP in advance by registering online (select “Media and Press”).  

For additional information or requests for interviews, media members can contact the Atlantic Council’s Director of Strategic Communications Zack Baddorf at zbaddorf@atlanticcouncil.org . 

Follow @AtlanticCouncil and use #ACGlobalFutureForum for live updates throughout the day. 

ABOUT THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL  

The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic Community’s central role in meeting global challenges. The Council provides an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders. The Atlantic Council—through the papers it publishes, the ideas it generates, the future leaders it develops, and the communities it builds—shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more free, secure, and prosperous world.