A look back at 3 days and 2 nights of Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, Zero Poverty!
Discover the 8th edition of the Convergences World Forum on video:
The 8th Convergences World Forum “Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, Zero Poverty” was held in Paris from 7 to 9 September.
This 8th edition brought together :
- 7,179 participants representing the public, private, solidarity, academic and media sectors;
- 355 inspirational speakers representing 58 nationalities;
- 45 conferences and 9 dynamic workshops
- 4 Convergences awards, 3 exhibitions to encourage civic engagement, 2 inspiring evenings for young people and the media as agents of change, 1 speed meeting and consultancy, 1 web documentary, and the launch of the 1st Lab Laboo
- 42 organisations present at the Salon Professionnel
- 4.5 million people reached on social networks
- 210 journalists present
During the first two days at the Palais Brongniart, the Convergences World Forum had the pleasure of welcoming French President François Hollande, who gave a speech on humanitarian commitment and commitment to development in front of 700 people. Watch the President’s speech on video.
The two days also saw a number of inspiring conferences and workshops, a trade fair, exhibitions and the launch of Joan Bardeletti’s web documentary, Les Grands Moyens.
On 9 September, at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, the Convergences Awards ceremony took place. The awards recognise the partnerships that are making a difference to a fair and sustainable world. Discover the 4 winners for 2015!
As every year, the Convergences World Forum also organised two themed evenings:
The 4th edition of the Youth We Can! evening, which brought together on 7 September at the Palais Brongniart communities of young people who are working at their own level for a more responsible society.
The Media Evening on 8 September, devoted to the role and place of the media in building a fair and sustainable world.
Read the proceedings of the Convergences 2015 World Forum.
Read the reports on the sessions of the 8th edition of the Convergences World Forum.
Click on the images to access the session discussions below:
 Welcome speech |
 The Solutions Agenda: alliances for the climate |
 How can we finance zero-carbon development models? |
 Beyond GDP: towards a more integrated definition of growth? |
 Vulnerable populations, real actors in their own development: what levers for what prospects? |
 Innovation and crisis management: how can we better manage humanitarian crises on the ground? |
 Social performance standards: learning from the microfinance experience |
 Making your social enterprise sustainable: how can you develop your business model? |
 Financing the SDGs: how can we make effective use of all financial flows and tools? |
 Africa, the continent of the 21st century? Utopia or near future? |
 Green microfinance: the microfinance sector’s response to climate change |
 Humanitarian action: intervention and funding models up to 2025 |
 Impact investing and environmental performance: how can global standards be developed? |
 How does the experience of microfinance shed light on the challenges of impact investing? |
 Inclusive business and social business: what strategy and what impact for companies? |
 Is financing the development of companies with a social and territorial impact a European challenge? |
 Principles, values and ethics: guidelines for humanitarian action? |
 Functional economy: why and how can I incorporate it into my business strategy? |
 Fab lab and open source: production in the age of collaboration |
 Index-based agricultural insurance: an innovative response to the challenges of food insecurity and climate change |
 How can local and regional authorities innovate to combat unemployment in Europe? |
 Climate finance: the successes and limitations of new financial mechanisms |
 How can we help civil society solidarity initiatives to emerge and become sustainable? |
 Seizing a global opportunity: partnerships for better growth and a better climate |
 Nominees for the Convergences Europe and International Awards |
 What role for business after COP21? |
 Combining adaptation and mitigation in the South: what innovations in the value chain and fair trade? |
 Humanitarian action and the climate challenge |
 Sustainable consumption: how can we innovate from production to consumption to change behaviour? |
 Participatory financing: what potential for development? |
 Partnerships and the SDGs: what are the levers and impact of multi-stakeholder alliances? |
 Sustainable energy and transport: the contribution of digital technology to climate protection |
 Microfinance and technology: what impact will digital technology have on the sector? |
 Startups, VSEs and SMEs: how can we create an ecosystem conducive to their development? |
 Combating deforestation and climate change: are sustainable value chains the solution? |
 The role of incubators: how can we support the emergence and consolidation of new business models? |
 Citizen action: how to involve citizens in the ecological transition? |
 The challenges and future of humanitarian aid |
 Food and climate: what role can foundations play in scaling up local actions? |
 Tools and modes of action for development: what are the factors for renewal? |
 Supporting solidarity structures: learning from our mistakes and successes |
 What is a responsible business model? |
 Why a World Humanitarian Summit in 2016? |
 Speech by François Hollande President of the French Republic |
 Territories and climate change: urban and rural areas facing the challenge |
 Impact investing and venture philanthropy: results and outlook |
 Speed-meeting and consulting sessions for social entrepreneurs |
 SDGs, cities and climate: how can agendas be coordinated and implemented? |
 Circular economy: an opportunity to co-create value in the regions |
 Premier Lab Laboo The new economy at the service of the common good? |
 Youth We Can! 2015 advocacy: young people mobilize for the climate! |
 Closing of the 8th Convergences World Forum Zero exlusion, Zero Carbon, Zero poverty |