The Inaugural Responsible Leaders Summit

The Centre for Responsible Leadership hosted the inaugural Responsible Leaders Summit at the United Nations in New York on May 1st, 2019.

Eminent leaders from across business, finance, religion, politics, media, and the environment will participate in high-level workshops to develop actionable commitments that will address how to bring more effective leadership to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Wednesday, May 1

Welcome & Introductions:

9.00am - Summit Master of Ceremonies:

David Gregory - Renowned Journalist and Former Moderator, NBC's Meet the Press

Welcome Remarks:

9:15am – 9:30am - HE Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa - Secretary General, The Muslim World League; 

Chairman, Responsible Leaders Summit

Bawa Jain - Secretary General, The World Council of Religious Leaders; Secretary General, Responsible Leaders Summit

Moderator:

Robert Bazell - Professor, Yale University; Former Chief Science and Health Correspondent, NBC News

9:45am – 10:35am - Solution Session 1: Restoring Civility to Public Discourse

In an age of increasingly divisive rhetoric, it is imperative for everyone to restore the civility in public discourse. If we are to build and safeguard an environment conducive to collaboration and reasonable decision-making, it cannot be based on name-calling, browbeating, threats and/or embarrassments. To meet our current and future challenges head-on and leave a world that our children can enjoy and thrive in, we need to preserve the space for rational debate, respectful disagreement and constructive compromise. But how do we do that when the flamethrowers consistently are the loudest voices? 

Moderator: David Gregory

Panelists:

Ambassador Nancy Brinker - Founder, Susan G. Komen; Ambassador to Hungary and U.S. Chief of Protocol

Senator Joseph Lieberman - Senior Counsel, Kasowitz Benson Torres; Former United States Senator (CT) and Vice Presidential Nominee

Adam Sharp - President & CEO, National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences (The Emmy Awards); Former Head of News, Government & Elections, Twitter

10:45 am – 11:35am - Solution Session 2: Addressing Economic Inequality

The divide between the rich and the poor has widened dramatically in the United States over the past few decades, with no remedy in sight. The situation is much the same in many other developed and developing countries. In a world with so much wealth, responsible leaders must do much more to lift up the most vulnerable individuals and nations. How do we advance trade and social protection policies that provide real economic gains to the poorest and most marginalized communities? 

Moderator: David Gregory

Panelists:

Lauren Bush Lauren - Founder and CEO, FEED Projects

Maurice Lévy - Chairman, Publicis Groupe

Franz Paasche - Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Communications, PayPal

Jessica Rosenworcel - Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

11:45am – 12:35pm - Solution Session 3: Safeguarding Our Planet

 As living beings, we depend on clean water. Development requires energy. Urban areas require infrastructure, sanitation and other essentials. And environmental disregard threatens all of these. How do we meet our present needs to provide basic service, adequate housing and opportunities for jobs and industry, while embedding environmental protection and sustainability practices so that we are not jeopardizing the future? 

Panelist:

Ken Berlin - President & CEO, The Climate Reality Project

​Bjørn Kjærand Haugland - CEO, Norway 203040; Former Chief Sustainability Officer, DNV GL Group

Noel Kinder - Chief Sustainability Officer, Nike

12:45pm – 2:30pm - Delegates Dining Room - Lunch & Networking

Award Presentation: 2019 Responsible Leadership Award for Excellence in Sustainability

Christian Rynning-Tønnesen - CEO, Statkraft

Special Address

HE Dr. Ali Rashid Abdulla Al Nuaimi - Chairman, World Council of Muslim Communities; Former Foreign Minister, United Arab Emirates

Monsignor Khaled Akasheh - Secretary of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims and Bureau Chief for Islam at the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue

HE Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa - Secretary General, The Muslim World League

Swami Avdheshananda Giri Maharaj - Chairman of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha (India)

Rabbi David Rosen - International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee (AJC)

Venerable Shi Ming Yi - Abbot of Foo Hai Chan Monastery (Singapore)

Moderator: Cindi Leive - Former Editor-in-Chief, Glamour Magazine and SELF Magazine

Panelists:

Jimmie Briggs - Writer; Member, New York City Commission on Gender Equity; Community & Partnerships Lead, The Goldin Institute

Claudia Chan - CEO & Founder of S.H.E. GLOBL

Cecile Richards - National women's rights advocate, Former President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Neera Tanden - President, Center for American Progress

Moderator: Paula Faris - Anchor and Senior National Correspondent, ABC News; Host, Journeys Of Faith Podcast

4:35pm – 4:45pm - Special Presentation: UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and The Muslim World League

Ninette Kelley - Director, New York Office, UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency

 Anne-Marie Grey - Executive Director & CEO, USA for UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency

 HE Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa - Secretary General, Muslim World League

2:35pm – 3:35pm - Solution Session 4: Uniting the Faithful

Faith should be a unifying factor among the peoples of the world. However, it is all too often misused to divide. We need to use the commonalities of our great religions to promote the shared values of faith and education, and a shared appreciation of each of our unique religious heritages. How do we eliminate the breeding ground for groups like Da’esh (ISIS) in the Middle East, the Ku Klux Klan in the United States or neo-Nazis in Europe? And how do we leverage interfaith understanding into real solutions for our communities?

3:45pm – 4:35pm - Solution Session 5: Ensuring Gender Equality

Gender equality is a fundamental human right. And the empowerment of women and girls is fundamental to building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Even as laws around the world are becoming increasingly more progressive, true gender equality is being hampered by the unacceptably high level of women and girls who experience physical and sexual violence. And all too often, women and girls find that in practice they are denied equal access to education, health care, decent work and political and economic opportunities. How do we unleash their full potential?

4:45pm – 5:00pm - Closing Remarks

HE Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa

Bawa Jain

The Responsible Leaders Summit Awards Dinner: The Harvard Club

7:30 - 10:15pm        

Reception Begins

​Dinner, Awards, and Entertainment Program

Special guests and entertainers to be announced

The 2019 Responsible Leadership Award for Truth in Media will be presented to: 

Ann Curry

Award-winning journalist and photojournalist, and former NBC News Network anchor and international correspondent.

The 2019 Responsible Leadership Award for Engaged Leadership will be presented to:

​

Alex Gorsky

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson

​The 2019 Responsible Leadership Award for A Lifetime of Achievement will be presented to:

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Rabbi Arthur Schneier

President, Appeal of Conscience Foundation; Senior Rabbi Park East Synagogue