FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Announce Global Roundtable on Unlocking Asset Giving for Greater SDG Impact

Toronto, Canada – August 20, 2026 – The Urban Economy Forum (UEF) and Donor Bridge are pleased to announce their collaboration in organizing the “Unlocking Asset Giving for Greater SDG Impact: Global Roundtable on Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development.”

This international roundtable will bring together leaders from the United Nations system, governments, cities, development organizations, philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, corporations, technology companies, and civil society to explore how financial and non-financial assets can be mobilized more effectively to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The initiative recognizes that beyond traditional monetary donations, significant resources—including capital, property, equity, technology, data, intellectual property, professional expertise, and strategic networks—remain underutilized in addressing global development challenges. Through dialogue and collaboration, participants will examine innovative approaches to unlocking these assets and directing them toward measurable and scalable SDG impact.

The roundtable will focus on:

• Advancing asset giving as a strategic form of social responsibility.
• Identifying barriers and opportunities for mobilizing financial and non-financial assets.
• Exploring innovative governance, financing, and digital solutions that increase transparency, accountability, and participation.
• Developing partnership models and pilot initiatives capable of generating measurable sustainable development outcomes.

The discussion is expected to produce a shared framework for asset giving, identify priority SDG applications, establish potential pilot projects, and create an action roadmap for future collaboration and implementation.

Reza Pourvaziry, Chair of the Urban Economy Forum and Founder of the World Urban Pavilion, stated:

"Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires us to think beyond conventional funding models. This roundtable will explore how underutilized assets can be unlocked and transformed into meaningful resources for sustainable development, creating measurable impact for communities around the world."

Jason Gangaram, Founder and CEO of Donor Bridge, added:

"Donor Bridge was created to help connect untapped resources with meaningful causes. By working with the Urban Economy Forum and global partners, we aim to demonstrate how asset giving can become a practical and scalable tool for accelerating progress toward the SDGs."

The Global Roundtable will serve as a catalyst for transforming social responsibility commitments into actionable partnerships and measurable development results, reinforcing the principle that the resources needed to accelerate the SDGs already exist—they simply need to be unlocked and connected to credible opportunities for impact.

About Urban Economy Forum (UEF)

The Urban Economy Forum is a global non-profit organization headquartered in Toronto, Canada, dedicated to advancing sustainable urban development, SDG Cities, innovation, and international collaboration. UEF serves as the Secretariat of the World Urban Pavilion, a global hub powered by UN-Habitat and the Government of Canada.

About Donor Bridge

Donor Bridge is an innovative platform dedicated to unlocking and connecting financial and non-financial assets with initiatives that generate measurable social and sustainable development impact. Through strategic partnerships, technology, and innovative giving models, Donor Bridge seeks to expand the reach and effectiveness of philanthropy and social responsibility.

Media Contact:

Urban Economy Forum: media@ueforum.org

Donor Bridge: marketing@donorbridge.com

“The assets needed to accelerate the SDGs already exist; our shared responsibility is to unlock them and transform their potential into lasting impact.”