Dylan Welch at UN Plaza: What a UNGA Week Convening Makes Possible

Dylan Welch is the founder and CEO of Welch International, an international relations and strategic advisory firm based in St. Petersburg, Florida. This feature looks at the New York Innovation Forum for Sustainable Development, held on September 21 and 22, 2026, at 777 UN Plaza. It also asks what convening leaders at the United Nations during General Assembly week makes possible.

What is the New York Innovation Forum for Sustainable Development?

Dylan Welch is the founder and host of the Global Leadership Forum. The New York Innovation Forum for Sustainable Development was its 2026 edition. It took place at 777 UN Plaza and was timed to Climate Week NYC and the 81st UN General Assembly. Peace Boat US, which holds ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, and Welch International co-hosted it.

The programming had three strands: a Business and Innovation Forum, a Nature Conservation Forum for a Renewable Energy Future and a Climate Week Family Office Forum. Partners and sponsors included Siemens, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, RMI, the Roosevelt Alliance, Blue Planet Alliance, HNO International and the Global Leadership Network. The mix covers industry, policy, conservation and private capital, which are the communities that most often need to work together on sustainable development and rarely share a room.

Why does convening during UNGA 81 and Climate Week NYC matter?

Timing is the first strategic choice. The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened on 8 September 2026. Climate Week NYC, organised by Climate Group, has run alongside the Assembly since 2009, and the 2026 edition ran from 20 to 27 September. One independent event guide listed 1,844 UNGA 81 and Climate Week NYC 2026 events.

That density is the opportunity and the difficulty. Decision-makers are in the city, but their calendars are crowded. The sustainability networks also described the moment as pivotal. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network noted that a new UN Secretary-General is soon to be elected ahead of next year’s final SDG Summit before the 2030 deadline. In that setting, a convening at a UN-adjacent address with a clear identity can cut through where a generic networking event would not. (This context comes from outside sources and does not describe any involvement by Dylan Welch or Welch International.)

Intelligence Report has also followed the wider diplomatic backdrop, including the meeting of UN climate presidencies in New York as COP31 nears.

What does Welch International bring to a convening?

Welch International specializes in business development, strategic partnerships and operations across the public sector, the private sector and the multilateral system. Its services are organized in three parts:

• Develop: mapping markets and stakeholders, securing decision-maker introductions and shaping pipelines.
• Partner: designing public-private alliances, building coalitions and guiding engagement with the UN system.
• Operate: standing up programs, cross-border operating models and high-level convenings.

The New York Innovation Forum sits mainly in that last category. Welch International names convenings and delegations among its focus areas, alongside public-private partnerships, market entry and expansion, government relations and sustainable development. Its stated principles are trusted access, cross-sector fluency, discretion, execution and senior attention, with direct principal involvement on every mandate.

Dylan Welch’s own record fits that model. He works as a private contractor for the United Nations and is an expert in business development, strategic partnerships and communication strategy. He is co-founder of the Global Leadership Network and Chief Development Officer of the Roosevelt Alliance, a land and nature conservation policy organization. Both organizations appeared among the forum’s partners. His earlier career includes about a decade as an international expedition guide across Europe, South America and Asia, plus broadcast production, UN-adjacent foundation operations and the co-founding and exit of a green media company. For a closer look at the advisory side, read How Dylan Welch Helps Organizations Navigate the UN System.

What does convening at UN Plaza make possible?

This article does not report results from the forum. In general terms, though, a convening at this address during General Assembly week can do four things for the people in the room:

1. Put different sectors in the same conversation. A forum that combines corporate innovation, nature conservation and family office capital invites partnerships that a single-sector conference cannot.
2. Lend institutional context. Co-hosting with Peace Boat US, an organization with ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, ties the program to the UN system rather than leaving it adjacent to it.
3. Use the calendar. Participants are already traveling to New York for UNGA 81 and Climate Week NYC, so the cost of attending is lower.
4. Turn contacts into pipelines. The value of a convening usually shows up in follow-up introductions and partnerships, which is where the Develop and Partner services pick up.

This is why convenings matter to Welch International’s model. The room is the visible part. The partnerships, pipelines and operating structures that follow it are the work.

Work with Welch International

Governments, corporations, multilateral institutions, nonprofits and foundations work with Welch International on partnerships, market entry and UN engagement. To discuss a specific mandate, you can book a confidential 30 minute consultation with Dylan Welch.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Welch International
• UNEP at the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly
• Climate Week NYC 2026 Opens: What Sustainability and Compliance Teams Should Watch This Week
• UN General Assembly & Climate Week NYC 2026 Event Guide
• The SDSN at the 81st UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC

Intelligence Report is published by Welch International. This article is part of our series on the leadership behind the publication.

This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.