CEO Forum 2026
The world is at a critical juncture. Findings from the first Global Stocktake underline that current efforts are significantly misaligned with the ambition required to meet global climate and development goals. Achieving the temperature targets of the Paris Agreement demands a 43% reduction in global emissions by 2030, yet the implementation of existing nationally determined contributions is projected to deliver only a 2% reduction. Similarly, the mid-point review of the Sustainable Development Goals pains a sobering picture: of the 169 SDG targets, only 13% are on track, while 18% are not even being monitored. These realities point not only to gaps in implementation, but also to deeper systemic challenges relating to fragmented decision-making, short-termism, insufficient data, and misaligned incentives across institutions and markets.
The challenges confronting the world today are deeply interconnected, spanning climate change, economic volatility, social inequalities, and technological disruption. Addressing them requires transformational approaches that go beyond incremental action. Long-term vision is needed to anticipate risks and opportunities in an increasingly uncertain global landscape; diverse voices are essential to ensure that transitions are inclusive, credible, and grounded in real-world contexts; and strong values must anchor decision-making to principles of equity, responsibility, and resilience. It is within this context that the CEO Forum 2026 is being convened.
Building on TERI’s long-standing engagement with business leaders and sustainability practitioners, the CEO Forum 2026 will focus on the theme “Transformations: Vision, Voices, and Values for Sustainable Development.” The forum will bring together CEOs and senior leaders to reflect on what transformative leadership entails at a moment when the world is off track, and to explore how businesses can play a decisive role in driving systemic change aligned with global climate and development imperatives.
The CEO Forum has, over the years, evolved into a trusted platform for candid dialogue between business, policy and thought leaders. The 2025 edition, themed “Partnerships for Accelerating Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions,” underscored the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration to enable industrial decarbonization, build climate-resilient value chains, and unlock inclusive, low-carbon growth pathways. Reflections from these discussions continue to inform TERI’s work on policy engagement, coalition-building, and capacity development, and provide a strong foundation for the conversations planned for 2026.
To view highlights from the CEO Forum 2025, please click here.
Highlights from the business convenings at WSDS 2025 may be viewed here.
Looking ahead, CEO Forum 2026 will seek to move the discourse from ambition to action. It will challenge leaders to reimagine business models, governance structures, and partnerships that are fit for a rapidly changing world, and to consider how vision, voices and values can come together to accelerate climate action and advance sustainable development at scale. The deliberations from the forum will feed into TERI’s ongoing engagement with industry, government, and civil society, supporting actionable pathways aligned with India’s development priorities and global climate commitments.