About
The Sustainable Global Leaders Conference is a high-level international forum dedicated to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and sustainable development. It serves as a platform for fostering in-depth global dialogue and collaboration in the field of ESG. The conference brings together government and business leaders, representatives of international organizations, leading academics, and industry experts to engage in substantive discussions on key topics such as ESG investing, green finance, carbon neutrality, gender equality, and corporate social responsibility. By facilitating the exchange of cutting-edge practices and innovative solutions, it has established itself as an influential venue for advancing industry standards and cross-border cooperation.
Since its launch in 2021, the ESG Global Leaders Conference (hereafter referred to as the “ESG Conference”) has been held annually with growing impact. Over its four editions, the conference has generated more than 300 million video views online, with related topics on Weibo accumulating over 900 million reads. It has become the most influential sustainability-focused event in China, with expanding international recognition, and is now permanently hosted in Shanghai’s Huangpu District.
To date, the conference has attracted more than 600 distinguished guests from over 40 countries, including 11 Nobel laureates, 110 renowned scholars, 220 representatives from leading companies, and 85 heads of international organizations. Overseas participants accounted for over 40% of the total (approximately 250 attendees). The speaker lineup has featured prominent global figures such as the World Bank’s 13th President Jim Yong Kim, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and former President of Slovenia Danilo Türk, alongside multiple Nobel Prize winners, leaders of global financial institutions—including MSCI Chairman Henry Fernandez and Fitch Group CEO Paul Taylor—and senior executives from dozens of Fortune Global 500 companies.
In 2024, with the endorsement of China’s State Council, the conference achieved new milestones in both participant seniority and scale. International guests actively shared conference insights on global social media platforms, speaking positively of China’s sustainable development achievements. These efforts helped amplify China’s high-quality development vision and strengthened international consensus and cooperation on ESG issues.
Against the backdrop of sustainable development’s growing role in global economic governance, the conference was upgraded in 2025 to the “Sustainable Global Leaders Conference” (abbreviated as SGL Conference). The 2025 edition is jointly organized by the World Green Design Organization (WGDO) and Sina Group, co-organized by the IFRS Foundation Beijing Office, and executed by Sina Finance and the WGDO Beijing Representative Office. It will be held from October 16–18 at the new Bund venue in Shanghai’s Huangpu District (No. 689 Jumen Road, Expo Park). This year’s theme is “Joining Hands to Address Challenges: Global Action, Innovation, and Sustainable Growth.”
The 2025 Sustainability Global Leaders Conference will further deepen global cooperation, strengthen consensus on sustainable development, and promote practical international collaboration. It aims to support businesses, governments, and institutions in jointly exploring sustainable pathways and accelerating the global transition toward a green, inclusive, and responsible economy.