Explore the project
The 17 Rooms flagship convenes diverse leaders and experts to pressure-test and strengthen “how” propositions that could drive widespread cross-cutting gains in sustainable development. Room convenings identify practical pathways for follow-through and translate insights into public-facing knowledge products.
What is an innovation in the how? We mean a tool, technology, or approach that improves how progress happens across multiple dimensions of sustainable development at once—by making it easier to scale what works, coordinate across actors, strengthen evidence and learning, mobilize resources, or translate insight into implementation. We are particularly interested in innovations across three themes: how to scale, how to deploy technology for collaboration, and new models for governance and organizing.
Each Room (or working group) serves as a neutral forum for workshopping an innovation with a small number of leading voices on the topic (say six to 10 people). Rooms will typically meet virtually one to three times over a few weeks to discuss and enhance the innovation. The process is highly collaborative, with opportunities for feedback and exchange, all aimed at enhancing the value proposition of an initial idea.
Jennifer Doleac, Anna Harvey, Jonathon Attridge, Erin Dalton, Dan Kreisman, Weston Merrick, Anthony F. Pipa, Jenni Owen, Jim Sullivan +4 more
May 16, 2025
David Eaves, Luanna Roncaratti
February 27, 2025
Mary-Ann Etiebet, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin, Gordon LaForge, Alaa Murabit, Nina Schwalbe +1 more
February 20, 2025
Angela Bandemehr, Albert Park
February 7, 2025
Mohamed Abdiweli Ahmed, Betty Kibaara, Kevin Watkins, Homi Kharas, Juliana Tângari, Nicola Okero, Veronica Schoj, Liesbet Steer +3 more
February 3, 2025
Mona Hanna, H. Luke Shaefer, Holly Fogle, Joneigh S. Khaldun, Wendy McWeeny, Orriel Richardson, TaShon Thomas, Anthony F. Pipa +3 more
December 20, 2024
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Mary-Ann Etiebet
December 12, 2024
Nils Gilman, Mutesi Rusagara
December 2, 2024
John W. McArthur, Zia Khan
August 12, 2024
John W. McArthur, Zia Khan, Jacob Taylor, Clea McElwain
March 3, 2025
John W. McArthur, Zia Khan, Jacob Taylor, Daniel Bicknell, Alexandra Bracken, Angela Shields +1 more
December 19, 2023
John W. McArthur, Zia Khan, Jacob Taylor, Alexandra Bracken, Daniel Bicknell
December 7, 2022
John W. McArthur, Zia Khan, Jacob Taylor
November 17, 2021
November 30, 2020
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur
February 1, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Jean Duff, Blessing Omakwu
January 27, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Jamie Drummond, Kennedy Odede
January 25, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Elizabeth M. King, Urvashi Sahni
January 20, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Martín Abregú, Elizabeth Sidiropoulos
January 18, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Todd Moss, Clare Boland Ross
January 13, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Elizabeth Andersen, Sarah E. Mendelson
January 11, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Lisa Dreier, David Obura
January 6, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Letitia Obeng, Jennifer Sara
January 4, 2022
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Lucy Harris, Sanjay Jain, Liv Marte Kristiansen Nordhaug
December 30, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Steve Davis, Pardis Sabeti
December 28, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Michael Faye, Cina Lawson
December 23, 2021
Amar Bhattacharya, John Podesta, Zia Khan, John W. McArthur
December 21, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Rosina Bierbaum, Richard Florizone
December 16, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Matthew Bishop, Raj Kumar
December 14, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Jane Maland Cady, Pradeep Prabhala
December 9, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Marcela Escobari, Ethan Rouen
December 7, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur, Kristen Leanderson Abrams, Carsten Stendevad
December 2, 2021
Zia Khan, John W. McArthur
November 30, 2021