Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 3: The RISE PECO World Summit 2025 (RPS2025), organized by RISE Infinity Foundation and Idobro Impact Solutions, has set the stage for a transformative week of innovation, dialogue, and collaboration. Celebrating its 12th edition, the Summit—held from January 27 to February 1, 2025—brings together over 9000 global leaders, changemakers, and innovators from 83 countries under the theme, “Think Different, Act Together.”
With systems thinking and collective action at its core, RPS2025 is a platform for addressing pressing global challenges through sustainable, equitable, and inclusive solutions. In her opening remarks, Karon Shaiva, Convenor of RISE PECOWorld, shared her vision: “RPS2025 is a crucible of knowledge and action, uniting diverse voices to multiply collective impact. Through Purpose, Profit, and Peace, we aim to leave no one behind.”
The Summit’s Opening Plenary featured distinguished speakers who emphasized the need for unity and innovation. The RISE Values—Responsible, Inclusive, Sustainable, and Ecosystem-Friendly—were also unveiled and championed by global luminaries:
Mikiko Tanaka, Director and Head of the UN ESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia, underscored the transformative potential of universal solidarity and peace.
Dr. Tina Opie, Chief Vision Officer, Opie Consulting Group LLC inspired us with her vision of inclusivity through shared sisterhood.
Aisha Khan, Board of Governors, SDPI, and CEO of Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change, emphasized sustainability as the cornerstone of global progress.
Susan Leger Ferraro, Social Entrepreneur and Author of SuperLoop, who sent an impactful message on fostering eco-system-friendly approaches, was warmly received by the audience.
Karon Shaiva, convenor of the RISE PECO World Summit and founder of Idobro, further explained, “We need a minimum value system that people, enterprises and communities can share. The RISE values are these universal, inter-generational values that work together to create a foundation for sustainable solutions by strengthening the relationship we have with ourselves and the world around us.”
Daily Plenaries and Celebrating Changemakers
Naresh Karmalker, in his opening address, remarked, “This Summit is a call to action—a testament to the collective strength of diverse ideas, experiences, and solutions. By approaching the daily thematics of SDGs, CSR, ESG, and DEI through collaboration, we can create solutions that interweave environmental health, social equity, economic growth, and personal well-being.”
The Summit’s plenary sessions feature thought leaders such as Dr Rajan Sudesh Ratna, UN ESCAP, Cheryl Kiser, Institute of Social Innovation, USA, Ayush Gupta, Director – HR, GAIL India, Mehul Kuwadia, Grey Cells, Madhur Singh, Bhavana Issar, Founder Caregiver Saathi and Arun Maira, Former Member, Planning Commission of India who highlighted the importance of systems thinking, stating, “We must look beyond silos and integrate our efforts to build a regenerative and inclusive world. Collaborative leadership and holistic solutions are the pathways to lasting impact.”
Each session delves into systems thinking, regenerative leadership, and actionable strategies for sustainable development. The Summit will culminate with the RISE Citizen Award during the Closing Plenary on February 1, 2025, honouring extraordinary contributions to sustainability, equity, and social impact. Past awardees include Gopal Sankaranarayanan – Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India, and Prof. Philip Kotler, the Father of Modern Marketing.
Global Perspectives and Engaging Formats
RPS2025 fosters international collaboration with over 200 Experts from Canada, the USA, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Lebanon, Dubai, Singapore, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, New Zealand and more. The success of RPS2025 is the collaborative approach with visionary partners who co-create and co-locate their programs to benefit the larger communities. Its unique Fest, Forum, and Tour programming features over 25+ interactive formats, including:
- RISE Forest Plantation by CommuniTree
- Tours across the globe by Unknown Planet and Bohemian Adventures
- Visual Sketchnoting by Curious Piyuesh
- Tailored activities for Start-ups, NGOs, and Academia, including mentoring and coaching sessions
- Cultural showcases like “Reviving Rangla Punjab” and “Sangti Valley: The Zero Waste Village”
- Creative expressions such as “Sur Aur Shwaas: Wellness Through Indian Music” and Muzicalli
- Virtual Roundtables and Workshops by Glenmark Foundation, Vibha India, SDPI, ECA-APER and others
- Physical and hybrid day-long exhibitions and sessions in Bengaluru, Mumbai and more, including a Fashion Show by Supruka celebrating sustainable design
The Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Swedish Institute, UN ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), WEConnect International, Kreative Kut, World Trade Centre, Lexicon of Change, Art of Awakening, The People Village, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) among 100+ knowledge partners strengthen the Summit’s mission of fostering meaningful dialogue and action.
Special Highlights: A Holistic Approach to Impact
This year, RPS2025 expands its focus with innovative workshops and forums, including:
- Eco-Innovation Labs: Harnessing grassroots ingenuity for sustainable technology.
- Social Finance Forums: Exploring new paradigms of inclusive growth, featuring actionable insights on microfinancing and impact investment strategies.
- Youth Changemaker Initiatives: Empowering the next generation of leaders with mentorship opportunities and hands-on collaboration.
These initiatives ensure that the Summit is not just a forum for dialogue but a launchpad for sustained impact with measurable outcomes.
Technological Innovation
This year’s Summit introduces cutting-edge digital features to maximize engagement, including AI-driven session personalization, virtual lounges for networking and mentoring clinics, and resource-sharing tools for polls, brochures, and catalogs.
Join the Movement
Karon Shaiva, Convenor of RISE PECOWorld, highlights the event’s significance: “RPS2025 is a network of networks of knowledge and action, uniting diverse voices to multiply collective impact. Through Purpose, Profit, and Peace, we aim to leave no one behind.”
The journey toward a sustainable and inclusive future begins at RPS2025. For more information, visit https://www.risesummit.in or contact dhritiman.das@idobro.com.
About Karon Shaiva
Karon Shaiva is the Convenor of the RISE PECOWorld, an innovative space for thought leaders to influence action and outcomes for the SDGs. She is an award-winning social entrepreneur recognized for her leadership commitment to impact initiatives such as WEP (UN Women), COVID relief, and Women in STEAM. Passionate about Partnership, Entrepreneurship, Citizenship, and Ownership (PECO), Karon’s mission is to foster people-powered solutions for a shared world. She is the Chief Impact Officer of Idobro Impact Solutions and the Managing Trustee of RISE Infinity Foundation.
About Idobro Impact Solutions (www.idobro.com)
Idobro’s end-to-end approach seeks to overcome systemic barriers, provide market-based solutions and forge alliances driven by shared values and activated at 3 levels in the ecosystem. In the past 12 years, Idobro has established itself as a resource centre for Research, Implementation, Stakeholder Relations and Evaluation. We apply the critical lens of Gender, Innovation, Finance and Technology (GIFT), for deeper insights into diversity, inclusion and sustainability issues based on Partnership, Entrepreneurship and Citizenship.
About RISE Infinity Foundation (www.riseinfinity.org)
The RISE Infinity Foundations (RIF), established in 2014, strengthens individuals and institutions for positive action and collective impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The mandate is to help create a more Responsible, Inclusive, Sustainable and Ecosystem-Friendly society through Peacebuilding, Humanitarian aid, Community development, Ecosystem restoration and disaster management.
