The coronavirus crisis has hit our social lives and economies in unprecedented ways. It made us reevaluate existing standards, magnified broken systems in societies, reminded us about the essentials of life and left us with mixed feelings about the future. At the same time state debts are tremendously high, some experts proclaim the end of capitalism as the Western world knows it, and the Amazon rainforest – the green lunges of the planet – continues to be burned down despite climate security agreements. Nothing to feel good about, but still there is hope!

Given the current challenging times, I felt the urge to gather extraordinary practitioners and experts from different industries for a special series of online talks during UN General Assembly and Climate Week end of September to facilitate conversations and insights at the intersection of the climate crisis – globalization – digitalization – sustainability – equality and politics. And most importantly, to inspire to take action and to explore collectively how we can create a desirable, more equitable future.

The overarching theme for the online talks is „This Decade of Systemic Changes“ and they contribute to the educational programming of the not-for-profit Awards.