Sign up for our newsletter: GZERO Daily

Crisis Recovery Sustainability Digital Governance Digital Equity Events Podcasts About

Microsoft president Brad Smith has a plan to meet the UN's goals

September 21, 2022

Thanks to the pandemic, we're way off from UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. But Microsoft President Brad Smith knows the way to get the job done.

In a Global Stage livestream conversation held at UN headquarters, Smith says he has deep faith in what he calls the "three-legged stool" of government, the private sector, and civil society.

If you build out all three, so the legs are strong, healthy, and know how to work together, then achieving the SDGs is not a pipe dream. It's not about more or less government, but rather about everyone being on the same page.

His plan: get businesses to innovate, NGOs to incubate, and governments to scale.

"We Didn't Get Lucky with Vaccines. We Got Smart," Says Brad Smith | Global Stage | GZERO Mediayoutu.be

From Your Site Articles

global stage microsoft brad smith innovation private sector sustainable development goals united nations global cooperation un general assembly

More from Global Stage

Demystifying Davos: Behind the scenes with GZERO & Microsoft

A behind-the-scenes look at a cool workspace that quickly became the go-to gathering spot for everyone from members of the media to heads of state in Davos, Switzerland, for the 53^rd World Economic Forum. Our partner and sponsor for the Global Stage series, Microsoft, hosted a diverse array of guests throughout the week at their café, located on the Promenade directly across from the Congress Center where the mainstage Forum events take place. Microsoft’s VP of Global Public Affairs, Steve Clayton, took us on a tour of the facility.

Putin's tragic genius: war crimes & isolated Russia

In a Global Stage delegate interview, on the ground in Davos, Ian Bremmer speaks to an old friend of the show, former Finnish PM Alexander Stubb. Stubb explains why Crimea is crucial for Ukraine's conception of "victory" against Russia and why Finland views its eastern neighbor with suspicion.

AI at the tipping point: danger to information, promise for creativity

Artificial intelligence is on everyone's mind these days. The potential for AI to mess up democracy is scary, but the truth is that it can also make the world a better place. So, are bots good or bad for us? We asked a few experts to weigh in during the Global Stage livestream conversation "Risks and Rewards of AI," hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft at this year's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Fighting crimes against humanity in a world of crisis

Volker Türk, the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is surprisingly candid about one of his organization's most famous shortcomings. The Security Council, which includes Russia as a permanent member, is "dysfunctional" on Ukraine. In a Global Stage delegate interview on the ground in Davos, Türk tells Ian Bremmer that believes it is critical that the Ukrainians, just as much as the Russians, abide by international human rights law.

Artificial intelligence and the importance of civics

What's more important to fight AI-enabled disinformation: policies or social norms? Eileen Donahoe, executive director of Stanford University's Global Digital Policy Incubator, believes we haven't done enough on the cultural level and in terms of civic education. But, should governments ban AI? She's on the fence when asked during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft.

Digital Equity

Want Africa to grow? Get people and businesses online: Africa expert

More on Digital Equity