The Global Innovation Summit 2025, a key event in the run-up to COP30, will focus on strategies to create more sustainable and inclusive cities. Hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the summit brings together urban leaders, investors, and policymakers to discuss a critical challenge: securing the trillions of dollars needed for new infrastructure in a rapidly urbanizing world. With a special emphasis on blended finance models, the summit aims to bridge the gap between public and private capital to fund projects in transport, energy, and housing, especially in the Global South. Sessions will explore how digital innovations can build smarter cities and how to strengthen urban resilience through climate-smart infrastructure.

The Global Agri-Food Innovation Conference 2025 opened with a call to action on creating sustainable and resilient food systems. Amidst growing concerns about climate change and food security, experts from around the world are meeting to explore how technology can transform agriculture. The conference features demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies, from precision farming robotics to vertical hydroponic systems that promise to revolutionize crop yields with minimal environmental impact. Special attention is being paid to the role of blockchain technology in ensuring food supply chain transparency and reducing waste. A roundtable of global CEOs and government ministers is set to announce a new public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of sustainable farming practices in developing nations.

In a bid to counter the escalating threat of cyberattacks, leaders from over 50 nations are meeting at a high-level summit to finalize a new Global Cybersecurity Framework. The proposed framework, which has been in development for over two years, outlines a common set of standards and protocols for international data sharing, threat intelligence, and digital infrastructure protection. The initiative is a direct response to a series of high-profile cyberattacks that have disrupted critical services worldwide in recent years. While many are optimistic about the potential for greater international cooperation, some privacy advocates have raised concerns about the framework’s potential to be used for state surveillance. The summit’s organizers, however, maintain that the framework includes robust safeguards to protect individual privacy while ensuring collective security.