Compassionate Leadership for a Just and Sustainable World: A Global Call to Action

Join the event at St. Bart’s Community House 325 Park Avenue, New York Event 

SMGC and UNESCO, in partnership with Indiaspora, are proud to host a High-Level Side Event during the UN Summit of the Future Action Days in New York, ‘Compassionate Leadership for a Just and Sustainable World: A Global Call to Action’. The event will be held on September 21st 2024 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM ET. This event will focus on the urgent need for Compassionate Leadership in the world, bringing together Nobel Laureates and global thought leaders.

Proposed speakers include Ms. Gabriela Ramos (Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO), Ms. Leymah Gbowee (Nobel Peace Laureate 2011), Ms. Kerry Kennedy (President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation), Mr. M.R. Rangaswami (Founder and Chairman, Indiaspora), and Ms. Asmita Satyarthi (CEO, Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion).

Context 

In a world increasingly challenged by escalating conflicts, deepening inequalities, and mounting environmental crises, the call for compassion has never been more urgent. The Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC), founded by SDG Advocate Emeritus and Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi, and UNESCO, are at the forefront of this call, striving to ignite the spark of compassion in everyone to ensure justice, equity, peace, and sustainability for all.

The Compassionate Leadership Academy, a collaborative platform, uniting the efforts of the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, UNESCO will be officially launched at this event. It is inspired by Mr. Satyarthi’s vision of compassion as the strongest connection with a problem that compels one to take meaningful action. The Academy aims to spread this form of leadership across all sectors, establishing compassion as a driving force in the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We believe that compassion can serve as the cohesive force that strengthens the pillars of the SDGs—People, Planet, Prosperity, and Peace—and accelerates their progress.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are falling short of their targets. Issues such as wars, the climate crisis, inequality, human rights abuses persist, demanding urgent and innovative solutions. In response, the Compassionate Leadership Academy proposes a paradigm shift: integrating compassion into societies, governance, leadership, and everyday interactions. This approach aims not only to alleviate immediate suffering but also to address the root causes of systemic injustices and build resilient communities capable of sustaining positive change.

The world is in dire need of sustainable solutions and ethical leadership, and the Academy aims to position compassion as the core driver of the global development agenda. Through its programs, the Academy will train and support a new generation of leaders who prioritize humanity and justice in their decisions, ensuring that development is inclusive, equitable, and truly transformative.

The initiative aims to:

• Promote compassionate global governance grounded in human fraternity, tolerance, and inclusion;
• Advance intercultural and interfaith dialogue, fostering mutual co-existence and solidarity among diverse communities;
• Foster compassion in action and cultivate compassionate leadership across various domains, including politics, governance, faith, business, civil society, academia, healthcare, judiciary, and law enforcement;
• Enhance youth leadership in vulnerable populations and conflict-affected areas, empowering them to engage in mindful problem-solving approaches;
• Establish and enhance Compassionate Intelligence to develop transformative solutions for addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

This gathering will serve as a collaborative platform, uniting the efforts of SMGC, UNESCO and other global experts in a shared mission to advance compassionate action to achieve justice, peace, tolerance, and sustainability in the world. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in rich dialogue, explore new partnerships, and join a movement that seeks to redefine leadership for a more just and compassionate world.

In this pivotal moment, where the attainment of the SDGs is at serious risk, this event invites us all to reevaluate our approach to life and society, reaffirming the belief that compassion is the force capable of guiding us toward a more just and sustainable future.