April 2024

Global Actionable Cross-Generational Knowledge Exchange 2024: The
Ideas, Vision, and Commitment of Young Leaders to SDGs, ESG, and CSR
April 26, 2024
Location: Wharton, JMHH Room 355 (Huntsman Hall)
Time: 9:00-10:30am ET

This is a Wharton students and young professionals from our global partners, driven program. The event is part of our ongoing program with global development partners, including Tanoto Foundation, International Labor Organization (ILO), German Development Agency (GIZ) and several partners from Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. This event marks the latest of our “Global Social Impact: Actionable Cross Generational Knowledge Exchange” series, hosted by the Wharton Zicklin Center for Governance and Business Ethics – The Business and Development Innovations.

Participants: Wharton/Penn students and alumni (recent graduates), alongside their colleagues (students and young professionals), as well as development professionals, corporate executives, academics, and inventors from around the world. Websites and social media platforms will facilitate additional access to the event and its follow-ups.

Organizers: Wharton/Penn students in partnership with various Wharton/Penn student clubs.

Sponsors: Wharton Tanoto program/initiative, Zicklin Center, and our global development partners. 

Objective: The conference aims to provide opportunities for the participants to expand their knowledge of sustainable development implementation challenges and opportunities in the emerging economies in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, as well as Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Building on the lessons from the Idea4Action, join initiative with the World Bank, the conference will also explore ways to enhance students and young professional engagement and contribution to sustainable development, including the SDGs. It also serves as a platform for development professionals, corporate executives, academics, and inventors to get insights into students and young professionals interest in and research on these issues, through Sustainability/SDGs/ESG research papers and startup projects.

Additionally, there will be a promotion of The ZICKLIN REVIEW Volume 1 and brainstorming on forthcoming volumes. (1)

Alignment with Wharton ESG Initiative: The focus is on sustainable development and the significance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria for frontier markets, including emerging and developing economies. Discussions will also address the importance of the often overlooked or narrowly defined “G” in ESG (referring to corporate governance and the role of Board of Directors), emphasizing the need to consider “G” in the context of ethics and good governance as crucial elements for successful implementation, particularly in emerging economies. This includes effective collective action, triangular cooperation, coalition building, and stakeholder engagement. The importance of capacity development and local partnerships will also be highlighted, demonstrating how global (South to South, South to North, and North to South) and cross-generational dialogue offer additional learning and knowledge exchange opportunities for students and young professionals to address real-world problems, while acknowledging the complexities of implementation, measuring impact, actionable capacity development, and sustainability.

Website and social media coverage: A dedicated website will be set up for the event. In addition to the limited number of in-person and online participants, the website and social media platforms will provide opportunities for others to access abstracts/summaries and videos of presentations, main takeaways, Sustainability/SDGs/ESG research papers and startup projects, and future follow-up activities.

Venue: Wharton, JMHH Room 355 (Huntsman Hall)

(1) In short, The Zicklin Review is an on-line, free access journal launched with a singular purpose: to offer a forum for young professionals and thought leaders (including our undergraduate and MBA students) to address the most urgent development challenges of their generation—namely, challenges within the ESG and Development space.

Resource Center:
– https://www.ilo.org/resource/productivity-key-decent-work-small-and-medium-enterprises