Rio+Social, a one-day event in Rio de Janeiro, will explore how social media and technology can play a pivotal role in creating sustainable solutions for the future of the planet. The day will be an opportunity to push the conversations of government leaders being held at Rio+20 beyond the UN conference to a digitally connected audience around the world.
When the UN met in Rio for the first Earth Summit 20 years ago, technology was hardly a part of the development conversation. Today, we know digital innovation can be used for anything from ending energy poverty to improving education.
The same founders of the annual Social Good Summit are organizing Rio+Social: the United Nations Foundation, Mashable and the 92nd Street Y. Rio+Social will also be made possible with generous support and innovative leadership from Ericsson, Energias de Portugal and LiveAD.
We can't wait to meet our community in Brazil at our first event — and the first event of its kind — in South America. If you can't make it to Brazil, Rio+Social promises to provide opportunities for citizens and leaders around the world to jointly find ways to harness the power of social media and technology to shape the future we all wish to see. You can join the Rio+Social conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
The following speakers will share their insights on leveraging digital tools for social good. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on speakers and programming. We'll be opening up registration soon!
Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO, Mashable
Ted Turner, founder and chairman, UN Foundation
Hans Vestberg, president and CEO of Ericsson
Leonardo Tristao, business director, Facebook Latin America
Fabien Cousteau, ocean explorer and founder, Plant a Fish
Luciano Huck, TV host and president, Instituto Criar de TV, Cinema e Novas Mídias
Florian Jürgs, co-founder and CEO, and Thorsten König, co-founder and CMO, KUULUU
António Mexia, CEO, EDP
Maura O’Neill, chief innovation officer, USAID
René Silva, founder, Voz das Comunidades
Fabio Barbosa, CEO, Abril Group
Dr. Gro Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway, director-general emeritus, World Health Organization