Events programming, campaigns, and research Concordia engages year-round in activities including programming, research, and campaigns. The organization also produces and contributes to research projects related to campaigns and other endeavors. These include the Concordia Partnership Index, a series of online dashboards and research papers to equip governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations with analytical tools to effectively evaluate global partnership environments;
Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker of the summit, which convened former and current heads of state, business executives, and nonprofit leaders devoted to promoting public-private partnerships. The 2013 summit focused on the global issue of youth unemployment. Key participants included corporate executives, international heads of state, public-policy and business scholars, nonprofit leaders, diplomats, journalists, and members of the Obama administration. At the summit, Concordia also released its first Index Report, a composite rating tool covering 17 emerging and growing markets, with case studies into key regions, measuring the readiness and need of a country to engage in public-private partnership activities for positive social and economic impact. The 2014 Concordia Summit, titled "Scaling Proven Solutions Through Collaboration", focused on how collaboration between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors can facilitate large-scale impact by leveraging each sector's unique expertise. The summit, which convened more than 700 former and current heads of state, business executives, and nonprofit leaders, explored the role of public-private partnerships in creating positive social and economic impact in a variety of areas. Subjects discussed included
human trafficking, and the partnerships the military engages in to aid communities around the world. Featured speakers during the summit included Senator
Amy Klobuchar, Senator
John McCain, Dr.
Mehmet Oz, New York District Attorney
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
James A. Winnefeld Jr. Concordia's fifth annual summit, held in October 2015, convened hundreds of thought leaders, heads of state, dignitaries, business leaders, and nonprofit/
NGO representatives.
Yahoo! Finance and
Yahoo! News filmed and
livestreamed the conference online for the first time. The topics discussed included
labor trafficking, youth unemployment, global food security, corporate responsibility, and democracy in Latin America. and Secretary of State
John Kerry spoke in praise of public-private partnerships and on behalf of the State Department's
Office of Global Partnerships, noting efforts on several political and material fronts including climate change, the
Trans-Pacific Partnership, and anti-terrorism.
2016–present At the 2016 Concordia Summit, a major topic was the global refugee and migrant crisis. The future of Europe and the
European Union (EU) was also discussed, and
George Soros was a key speaker on both the EU and the refugee crisis.
Warren Buffett spoke about
The Giving Pledge and his decision to give half his wealth to philanthropy. Additional discussions covered global healthcare provision, as well as women's health, maternity issues, women's empowerment, and gender equality. Cybersecurity and intellectual property were discussed, The
U.S. State Department and
Bretton Woods II introduced the Trillion Dollar Challenge: A New Business Model for Investing in Social Impact and Development, intended to help achieve the
UN's 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and the
United States Council for International Business discussed the role of private businesses in achieving SDGs. A panel called "The New MBA: Business, Partnerships and Tackling Global Challenges" explored MBA programs which emphasize diversity, innovation, sustainability, internationalism, and partnerships. Additional topics included global food supply, waste disposal, human rights and democracy, forced labor and trafficking, and international trade policy. In addition to its annual summits in New York, Concordia introduced Regional Summits beginning in 2016. The first Concordia Americas Summit was held in May 2016 in
Miami, Florida. The summit gathered more than 100 world leaders from public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address pressing political and economic issues affecting the Americas, including energy, trade, governance, regional security, democracy, and corruption. One key topic was the
Venezuelan crisis, which was discussed by a panel which included
Luis Almagro and
Lilian Tintori, and in other group discussions which included a variety of Latin American political and business leaders and other experts. A second Concordia Americas Summit was held February 2017 in
Bogotá, Colombia. Corruption and accountability, achieving peace, regional investment, and sustainability were among its focuses. Former Colombian Presidents
Álvaro Uribe and
Andrés Pastrana, as well as business leaders and military leaders, critiqued the current status of the
Colombian peace process between the Colombian government and the
FARC, Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke on a variety of topics, including European unity; Russian malfeasance; the refugee crisis; prosperity, security, democracy, and the transatlantic alliance; and global warming. The stability and economic recovery of Greece, and its membership in the EU and the
eurozone, were also major subjects of discussion during the summit. The 2017 Concordia Annual Summit was held in New York City in September 2017.
Additional activities Concordia operates on other fronts in addition to its summits, events programming, campaigns, and research. It has co-partnered with the
Secretary of State's Office of Global Partnerships in Global Partnerships Week each year since its inception in 2014. In 2014 Concordia, in conjunction with the
University of Virginia Darden School of Business Institute for Business in Society, and the
U.S. Department of State Secretary's Office of Global Partnerships, established the annual P3 Impact Award to recognize and honor best examples of public-private partnerships (P3s) that are improving communities and the world in the most impactful ways. The inaugural P3 Impact Award was presented at the 2014 Concordia Summit to CocoaLink, a public-private partnership between
The Hershey Company, the
Ghana Cocoa Board, and the
World Cocoa Foundation which uses mobile technology to improve cocoa production and the livelihoods of African cocoa farmers. The 2015 award went to the TV White Space Partnership, a partnership between the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (ECOFISH), the
Government of the Philippines, and
Microsoft which utilizes unused TV frequencies to send out free internet signals to more than 200,000 individuals in isolated locations. The 2016 award was given to Project Nurture, a partnership between
TechnoServe, the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and
The Coca-Cola Company which connects mango and passion-fruit farmers in Kenya and Uganda to better markets, including the local Coca-Cola supply chain. Concordia also presents the Concordia Leadership Award, which recognises global leaders within the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who inspire others through their ability to turn vision into impact. and Gloria Malone, creator of Teen Mom NYC. The 2021 Leadership Awards were given to former U.S. First Lady
Laura Bush, the LEGO Group CEO
Niels B. Christiansen, and Justice for Migrant Women Founder & President
Mónica Ramírez. ==Leadership==