Social Good Summit Wraps Up with Commitments to Social Change through Social Media

As the Social Good Summit, held this week in New York alongside the United Nations General Assembly, wraps up today, in-person and online participants have sparked a global conversation about the world’s most important issues. The Summit is jointly hosted by Mashable, the UN Foundation, and 92nd Street Y, and was sponsored by Ericsson. More than 1,600 new media notables and innovators registered for the in-person event, including three Nobel Prize Laureates, world leaders, activists, U.S. government officials, movie stars, business leaders, bloggers, and journalists. Organizers estimate more than 100,000 have watched the Livestream of the Summit proceedings to date, totaling more than 1 million minutes of footage watched.

Making surprise appearances at the Summit were Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, First Lady of the Dominican Republic, and actor and activist Richard Gere.

Presenting their ideas on how to match the power of technology and social media with global challenges were:

• Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
• Chef José Andrés, Culinary Ambassador, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
• Lance Armstrong, Founder and Chairman of LIVESTRONG
• Tony Bates, Chief Executive Officer of Skype
• Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News’ Chief Health and Medical Editor
• Barbara Bush, CEO and Co-founder Global Health Corps
• Pete Cashmore, Founder and CEO, Mashable
• Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, First Lady of the Dominican Republic
• Juju Chang, Correspondent for 20/20 and Nightline
• Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer and SVP, GE
• Geena Davis, Founder, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
• Richard Gere, Actor, Activist • Brian Gott, Publisher, Variety
• António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS
• President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania
• Andrea Koppel, Vice President of Global Engagement & Policy, Mercy Corps
• Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director
• Mandy Moore, Actress, Singer, Philanthropist
• David Muir, Weekend Anchor, ABC World News
• Dr. Ida Odinga, wife of the Prime Minister of Kenya
• Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland
• Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for Innovation in the Office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
• Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute
• Dr. Raj Shah, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Christy Turlington Burns, Founder of Every Mother Counts
• Ted Turner, Chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc. and Founder and Chairman of the United Nations Foundation
• Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
• Serena Williams, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
• Timothy E. Wirth, President, UN Foundation
• Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Founder of the Grameen Bank
• Randi Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, R to Z Media
• Madam Tobeka Zuma, First Lady of South Africa

As participants harnessed the power of social media to expand the conversation, the Summit also put ideas into practice when leaders such as Madam Tobeka Zuma, First Lady of South Africa, and Dr. Ida Odinga, wife of the Prime Minister of Kenya, committed to broader communication by creating their first-ever Twitter accounts.

The Social Good Summit closes today with the Startups for Good Challenge, a competition that showcases startup companies that are striving to improve the world through innovative technology. The winner of the challenge, Roseicollis Technologies, is implementing the SunSaluter, an inexpensive solar panel rotator, to push solar technology to the forefront of the alternative energy in the developing world. Roseicollis Technologies will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

###About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. Through campaigns and partnerships, the organization connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The campaigns reduce child mortality, empower women and girls, create a new energy future, secure peace and human rights, and promote technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.

About Mashable
Founded in 2005, Mashable is the top source for news in social and digital media, technology and web culture. With more than 50 million monthly page views, Mashable is the most prolific news site reporting breaking web news, providing analysis of trends, reviewing new Web sites and services, and offering social media resources and guides.

About 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a world-class nonprofit community and cultural center that connects people at every stage of life to the worlds of education, the arts, health and wellness, and Jewish life. Through the breadth and depth of 92Y’s extraordinary programs, we enrich lives, create community and elevate humanity. More than 300,000 people visit 92Y’s New York City venues annually, and millions more join us through the Internet, satellite broadcasts and other digital media. A proudly Jewish organization since its founding in 1874, 92Y embraces its heritage and enthusiastically welcomes people of all backgrounds and perspectives. 92Y is an open door to extraordinary worlds.

Please note: This release was updated on 9/27/2011 at 3PM ET.