24 September 2012: The 2012 Social Good Summit brought together stakeholders in person and online to participate in “The Global Conservation” and consider how technology can impact communities and improve the standard of living globally.

The Summit was held from 22-24 September 2012, in New York, US, and was organized by Mashable, 92nd Street Y, the UN Foundation, Ericsson, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition to the New York event, on 24 September, events were also held simultaneously in Beijing, China, and Nairobi, Kenya, which brought together key stakeholders. The aim of the Summit was to provide a global platform for discussions of how innovative thinking and technology, including new media, can solve global problems.

During the New York event, participants heard presentations from a variety of speakers on topics relating to how technology can be used to address issues such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the world in 2015, gender equality and the rights of girls and women, global sustainability in the 21st century, the Arab Spring, climate and energy, human trafficking, disaster relief and nutrition. The Nairobi event included discussions of issues such as the role of digital technology in global governance and leadership, how new technologies can help increase food production and distribution in Africa, and how digital technology can help save the region’s forests and wildlife.

In addition to the main events, the organizers also invited people all over the world to create and join “Meetups” to address the question: “How can new technology and new media create solutions for the biggest problems facing my community?” These local discussions will foster conversations which will continue in the weeks after the Summit, and will form the basis of a “worldwide paper” which will be produced at the end of the year and which will highlight the opportunities and challenges the world faces. [UNDP Summit Website] [Mashable Summit Website]