Leaders of the Milken Institute, a global nonpartisan think tank, are on the ground participating in and around the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Each fall, New York City becomes the center for global thought leaders as heads of state, corporate executives, and influential change-makers come together to address the most pressing challenges facing our world. This year, Milken Institute experts will advance four key areas of its programmatic work across finance, health, and philanthropy: addressing climate change through innovation; advancing global health access and investment in antimicrobial resistance; leveraging finance and innovation for a resilient, prosperous Africa; and building pathways to strategic philanthropy.

In addition to Milken Institute-hosted events, leadership will participate in the UN Summit of the Future and the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance 2024 and speak at other partner convenings.

Milken Institute events are by invitation only and closed to the press; Africa at an Inflection Point: A Milken Institute and Invest Africa US Investor Symposium will be open to members of the media (details below).

Addressing Climate Change Through Innovation

The Milken Institute focuses on catalyzing climate finance strategies for mitigation and adaptation; accelerating climate-resilient infrastructure deployment; building nutritious, equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems; enabling innovation through competition; and modernizing the international financial system to better address climate change.

EVENT: A Conversation with H.E. Fernando Haddad, Minister of Finance of Brazil—Investing in Brazil’s Green Transformation: This special session with Minister Fernando Haddad will focus on "O Plano de Transformação Ecológica (PTE)," Brazil’s ambitious plan for green transformation. The initiative aims to revitalize Brazil’s economy through public-private partnerships and new sustainability markets, such as bioeconomy, agro-food systems, energy transition, and climate-resilient infrastructure. Requiring an annual investment of $130 billion–160 billion, the PTE seeks to attract foreign investment, reduce currency risk, expand the regulated carbon market, and address deforestation. This session provides a unique opportunity to engage with the minister and explore how global investors can support Brazil’s ecological and sustainability goals.

EVENT: Recalibrating Climate Finance: The Next Decade of Deployment (2025–2035): We face an inflection point for effective climate and adaptation finance. The consequences of climate change are now a daily reality across the globe, and current strategies to deploy public and private capital are experiencing mixed results. Extreme weather is draining public coffers to pay for property damage, but that money could be better spent preserving human lives, protecting existing assets, and funding and financing resilience. How can we ensure there will be enough capital available to invest in mitigation tech, scale carbon markets, and build bottom-up financing structures that support a sustainable and resilient Global South? Join us for a discussion focused on the next two-year cycle of climate finance acceleration activity as part of an emerging 10-year plan for recalibrating effective progress on climate, resilience, and transition from 2025 to 2035. Speakers include Deanne Criswell, administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency; Linda Eling Lee, founding director and head of the MSCI Sustainability Institute; Jonah Goldman, head of external affairs and impact, Generate Capital; Dan Firger, senior advisor, Encourage Capital; Holly Freishtat, senior director, Milken Institute Feeding Change; Emilie Mazzacurati, founder and CEO, Tailwind; Kanika Singh, director, Milken Institute Financial Innovations Labs; Daniel Stephens, senior partner, McKinsey & Co.; and Sean Kane, partner, McKinsey & Co.

Advancing Global Health Access and Investment in Antimicrobial Resistance

The Milken Institute’s FasterCures sits at the intersection of health and finance to save lives by speeding scientific advancements for all patients. It works to catalyze practical, scalable solutions to address the challenges of our biomedical health system. FasterCures’ work on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) focuses on sustainable financing of antibiotic development, creating a pathway for private-sector investment and engagement in antibiotic innovation, and pandemic prevention through global coordination of biosurveillance networks.

The UN General Assembly will convene a High-Level Meeting on AMR for the second time during its 79th session. Milken Institute Executive Vice President of Health Esther Krofah will attend the meeting, where world leaders will collectively address the threat AMR poses to global health, food security, and the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

EVENT: Beyond Borders: Advancing Global Health Access in a Changing World: As global populations grow and age and lifestyles evolve, many regions face increasing burdens from cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The Milken Institute is bringing together world leaders, policymakers, and health experts to explore innovative strategies for improving access to disease prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. In the lead-up to the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations on NCDs in 2025, the session aims to address inequities in care access highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion will be moderated by Milken Institute Executive Vice President of Health Esther Krofah and feature a fireside conversation with Vanessa Kerry, MD, CEO of Seed Global and special envoy for climate change and health at the World Health Organization; and insights from Rebecca Bunnell, PhD, principal deputy US global AIDS coordinator for PEPFAR, Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, US Department of State; Bience Gawanas, vice chair of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Githinji Gitahi, MD, group CEO of Amref Health Africa.

Leveraging Finance and Innovation for a Resilient, Prosperous Africa

The Milken Institute's Africa strategy focuses on fostering resilient, inclusive economies led by African entrepreneurs and investors who can help realize the continent’s brightest future. Among other initiatives, we are building the next generation of leaders in financial policy and asset management; catalyzing technological innovation and entrepreneurship; and fostering policy and investor dialogue to help advance sustainability, health, and shared prosperity in Africa.

To strengthen these efforts, the Milken Institute just launched its Africa Leaders Business Council, reinforcing its commitment to the continent, bringing together thought leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and experts across business, technology, finance, sustainability, and innovation.

EVENT: Galvanizing Africa to Move Forward Faster on the SDGs—A Milken Institute and UN Global Compact Network Nigeria Event: Africa is at a pivotal moment in its journey, where the pursuit of economic growth is closely linked to achieving the SDGs. In partnership with the UN Global Compact Network–Nigeria, the Milken Institute is organizing a roundtable discussion aimed at accelerating progress on the SDGs in collaboration with Nigerian businesses. We’ll convene C-level banking executives, along with leaders and key stakeholders from the private and public sectors in Nigeria. Our key objectives include raising awareness, fostering collaboration, driving concrete actions, and enhancing accountability.

OPEN PRESS EVENT: Africa at an Inflection Point Investor Symposium, co-hosted by the Milken Institute and Invest Africa US: Featuring fireside conversations among Milken Institute Chairman Michael Milken and Aliko Dangote, founder, chairman, and CEO of Dangote Group, and Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, National Basketball Association, the Milken Institute and Invest Africa US will convene Africa at an Inflection Point Investor Symposium. This event will highlight the critical importance of strengthening Africa’s partnerships with the rest of the world, outlining the continent’s strategies to unlock growth and socioeconomic development, and the actions needed to mobilize capital toward these goals.

Following this discussion, an investor panel will feature British Robinson, coordinator of Prosper Africa; Runa Alam, co-founder and CEO of Development Partners International; Amadou Hott, former special envoy of the president for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa, African Development Bank; and Seun Salami, chief financial officer of Nuveen, who will delve into investment opportunities and strategies that can further enhance Africa’s economic landscape.

For press credentials, email Paul Guequierre at pguequierre@milkeninstitute.org.

Building Pathways to Strategic Philanthropy

Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy advances the deployment of capital to create a better, more equitable world. We partner with individuals and foundations to develop strategies, implement giving programs, and foster collaboration so that philanthropists can use their resources to make a positive impact.

EVENT: Corporate Philanthropy Leadership Collective Dinner: As the SDGs and 2030 Agenda loom large, this evening is an opportunity to pause, gather with corporate philanthropy peers, and discuss how to best navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. During an uplifting, inspiring dinner, leaders will discuss how we can all benefit from this incredible cohort of foundation leaders as both a sounding board and a trusted community in creating actionable ideas and solutions.

EVENT: Reducing Inequality in Challenging Times: Recent years saw a spike in philanthropic support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, followed by a period of increasing public skepticism regarding the intentions and outcomes of such programs. This intimate, invitation-only roundtable discussion, hosted by the Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy team, will seek to explore the complex dynamics at play, examining how philanthropic organizations and individuals can navigate and respond to the challenges posed by the current climate while also working toward fulfilling SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities. We hope you can join us for this timely conversation on coalescing around next steps and a way forward.

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on accelerating measurable progress on the path to a meaningful life. With a focus on financial, physical, mental, and environmental health, we bring together the best ideas and innovative resourcing to develop blueprints for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what’s pressing now and what’s coming next. For more information, visit https://milkeninstitute.org/.

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