While global debt is forecast to increase to 100% of global GDP by the end of the decade, the economy is facing numerous headwinds, from fragmentation, environmental shocks, demographic pressures and technological disruptions.

Speakers:

Vera Songwe, Chairperson and Founder, Liquidity and Sustainability Facility

Stacey Vanek Smith, Senior Story Editor, Bloomberg Audio, Bloomberg Media

This is the full audio from a session at the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings on 23 September, 2025.

Watch it here:

https://www.weforum.org/meetings/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2025/sessions/growth-under-pressure/

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In 2025, the global energy landscape is being redefined by geopolitical unpredictability, shifting market dynamics and uncertainty around climate ambitions. Assumptions about the speed, scale and direction of the energy transition are being tested as nations recalibrate priorities on energy security, affordability and industrial competitiveness.

Speakers:
Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, Center on Global Energy Policy; Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Sumant Sinha, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, ReNew
David G. Victor, Professor, University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
Rebecca Boudreaux, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oberon Fuels

This is the full audio from a session at the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings on 23 September, 2025.

Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2025/sessions/energy-transition-amping-up-or-powering-down/

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In 2024, 72% of Chinese consumers expressed trust in AI and 90% considered autonomous driving beneficial, while only 32% of US consumers reported trust in AI and acceptance rates for autonomous driving remained lower in Germany, the US and Japan than in China.

What factors are driving these regional differences and how might they shape the speed and approach to deploying autonomous robots?

Speakers:

Zhu Qiuguo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Deep Robotics

Paula Ingabire, Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda

Kishor Patil, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, KPIT Technologies

Eleanor Olcott, China Technology Correspondent, The Financial Times

This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025.

Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/who-trusts-the-machines/

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An uncertain geopolitical era has emerged, marked by shifting alliances, volatile economic policies and weakening multilateral cooperation. This moment calls for stakeholders to identify steps to strengthen global security and stability.

What paths exist for continued security cooperation and how are organizations adapting to operate more effectively in an increasingly unpredictable world?

This is the full audio from a session at the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings on 22 September, 2025.

Watch it here:

https://www.weforum.org/meetings/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2025/sessions/geopolitics-looking-beyond-uncertainty/

Catch up on all the action from SDIM25 at wef.ch/sdim25 and across social media using the hashtag #SDIM25.

Speakers:

Ishaan Tharoor, Foreign Affairs Columnist, Washington Post

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)

Victoria Nuland, Professor, Practice of International Diplomacy, Columbia University

Salah Ahmed Jama, Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Office of the Prime Minister of Somalia

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From tariffs to territory, political and economic tensions between countries are deepening as the geopolitical landscape enters a new era of uncertainty.

What are the pre-eminent political shifts and under-recognized trends for stakeholders to look out for and how might they shape economies?

Speakers:

Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Monica Toft, Professor and Director, Center for Strategic Studies; Academic Dean, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

Jin Keyu, Professor, School of Business and Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Li Xueying, Foreign Editor, The Straits Times

Happymon Jacob, Founder and Director, Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR)

This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 26 June, 2025.

Watch it here:

https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/geopolitics-an-unfolding-story/

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Global public debt stands at around 94% of GDP, constraining governments' ability to fund critical growth-promoting investment in infrastructure, education and technology.

How can innovative financing, alongside global trade and investment strategies, mobilize resources to meet development goals?

This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025.

Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/investing-amid-high-debt-low-growth/

Speakers:

Jeffry A. Frieden, Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science, Columbia University

Stacey Vanek Smith, Senior Story Editor, Bloomberg Audio, Bloomberg Media

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A decade after the Paris Agreement, policies and politics have evolved but the associated risks from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss remain. Although the narrative is shifting towards energy security, national and regional actors are still looking towards innovative solutions to climate challenges.

How are government and business commitments shifting and what could change mean for industries that have been preparing for future green growth?

Speakers:

Adam Tooze, Director, European Institute, Columbia University

Elizabeth Thurbon, Professor of International Political Economy; Director, Green Energy Statecraft Project, University of New South Wales

This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 24 June, 2025.

Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/honest-conversation-on-climate/

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A new wave of start-ups is emerging, built around powerful AI agents capable of autonomous decision-making, dynamic collaboration and end-to-end task execution. These agents aren’t just supporting workflows – they’re becoming the digital workforce that runs entire business functions.

How are business models evolving when AI agents take the lead in building, managing and scaling companies?

Speakers:

Wang Guanchun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Laiye

Louise Victoria Matsakis, Senior Business Editor, Wired Magazine

John Lombard, Chief Executive Officer, NTT DATA, Inc. Asia Pacific

Van Vu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ELSA,

Kian Katanforoosh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Workera

This is the full audio from a session at the AMNC25 in Tianjin, China on 25 June, 2025.

Watch it here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2025/sessions/building-an-agentic-economy/

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