Giving Compass' Take:

• The ninth year of Social Good Summit was in September and brought about rich conversation on the role of technology in global development projects and the protection of human rights. 

• How can entrepreneurs, innovators, and philanthropists work together to steer technology toward social good initaitves and keep in mind concerns of censorship, privacy, and accessibility? 

• Read reflections about the Global Climate Action Summit this year. 

The Social Good Summit held on Sept. 23 marked the 9 year anniversary of the conference which looks at how the intersection of technology and new media has redefined our understanding of human progress. This year attracted 1,300 in-person attendees, and 1.3 billion social impressions reaching 162 countries.

With keynote presentations by New Zealand Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern, and Andrew Lee, CIO and Head of Sustainable Investing at UBS, the conference covered everything from gender equality and health innovations to the importance of supporting our global youth.

Henry Timms, president and CEO of 92nd Street Y, kicked off the conference by acknowledging the somewhat problematic role that technology has played in recent events around the world. Rather than technology being a liberating force that spreads democratization and facilitates access to opportunities, we’ve seen a pivot towards more authoritarian states and censorship.

Andrew Lee, CIO and Head of Sustainable Investing at UBS, led a session on driving change that matters which highlighted UBS’s efforts to bring together capital, partnerships, and individuals to make a difference — and Project Entrepreneur is one example of that effort.  Project Entrepreneur encourages women to pursue their business ideas by giving them access to the tools, training, and networks needed to build scalable, economically-impactful companies.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the importance of protecting human rights was discussed by many speakers at this year’s Social Good Summit. In a discussion around access to education and gender equality, advocate for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Padma Lakshmi said, “We should all have access to the same education, the same opportunities, the same resources, and protection to succeed and help the next generation.”

Read the full article about Social Good Summit from UBS at Mashable