Zebras in a field outside of Nairobi

Nairobi

Kenya | June 16-18, 2025

The Summit will bring together a visionary group of global innovators, business executives, scientists, policymakers, next-generation leaders, artists, activists — all united in their commitment to building a brighter future.

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Meeting this moment...

Our world is in the midst of a hard reset. Institutions are faltering, and achievements, like the Paris Agreement, appear increasingly precarious. Critical challenges that mark everyday life remain unresolved, deepening fears about our shared future.

Yet amid these headwinds, there are clear signs of progress toward a better world. Booming clean energy industries in China, the end of coal in the U.K., and a new generation of leaders in Kenya committed to leapfrogging old patterns of development, all point the way forward. Positive tipping points – many already in motion – can take us further, faster.

Countdown Nairobi

our Program

Your TED Countdown journey starts on June 16 and concludes late evening of June 18. Expect to depart on June 19.

A three-day program

Sessions of mainstage TED Talks and interviews, filled with thoroughly researched and thoughtfully curated talks from around the world - designed to bring new insights into progress and restore resilience and hope with brilliant new ideas.

Breakthrough sessions

Your opportunity to choose from a thought-provoking lineup of workshops, with topics ranging from the future of work to our response to temperature overshoot. Each session is designed to help you dig deep and tackle specific problems while building new collaborations.

Quests

Head offsite and explore Nairobi and surrounding communities with local leaders to see climate impacts firsthand and learn how the region is building a low-carbon future with innovation and urgency.

Location

Nairobi, Kenya

TED Countdown Summit | June 16-18, 2025

There is no path to achieving the Paris goals that does not run through Africa.

That’s why we’ve chosen to host the 2025 Summit in Nairobi, a city on the vanguard of the continent’s energy transition. Kenya boasts one of the greenest grids in the world, with 90% of its electricity from renewables and 50% of this from geothermal. With 70% of its population under 30, Kenya is also home to a new generation of leaders committed to leapfrogging old patterns and pioneering a resilient path to economic development. 

In Nairobi, we will gather to learn from one another, bridge divides, and harness the wisdom and creativity of a remarkable network of leaders spanning sectors and geographies. The TED Countdown Summit will gather innovative thinkers and radical changemakers to inspire commitment and collaboration, fast-track solutions, and create a world that proves better than we think. 

Countdown Nairobi

Our Partners

TED Countdown is a philanthropically-funded global initiative, founded on a spirit of collaboration. We are working with local partners and suppliers to deliver an exceptional experience at the Summit, offer support to local changemakers, and offset our carbon footprint by supporting Kenya-based projects.

Our Strategic Partners, Vision Council and TED Future Forum member companies will work with us to bring the best ideas from around the world to the TED stage. We welcome new friends to join our growing community. Contact us at countdown@ted.com.

Who attends TED Countdown?

Countdown brings together diverse participants including politicians, climate scientists, nonprofit leaders, business leaders and C-suite executives, artists and more. We’ve gathered 2400+ world leaders from 70+ countries at our events. Here are just a few of the participants who have made Countdown events impactful:

Al Gore
Al Gore
Nobel Laureate, climate advocate
Watch Talk
Amina J Mohamed
Amina J Mohamed
UN Deputy Secretary-General
Watch Talk
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Marine biologist, policy expert
Watch Talk
David Lammy
David Lammy
Foreign Secretary, UK
Watch Talk
Hongqiao Liu
Hongqiao Liu
Independent journalist, policy advisor
Watch Talk
Johan Rockstrom
Johan Rockstrom
Climate impact scholar
Watch Talk
Jim Hagemann Snabe
Jim Hagemann Snabe
Chairman, Siemens and Northvolt
Watch Talk
Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Chair of The Elders and former president of Ireland
Watch Talk
Manish Bhardwaj
Manish Bhardwaj
Moral leader
Watch Talk
Wanjira Mathai
Wanjira Mathai
Environmental restoration champion
Watch Talk
Xiye Bastida
Xiye Bastida
Climate activist
Watch Talk
Countdown Nairobi

How you can join us

TED Countdown’s audience is as carefully curated as our speaker line-up. Participants will include business leaders transforming their companies, innovators developing new solutions, and non-profit leaders forging radical collaborations.

01

Apply to Come to the summit

Complete a short application to help us get to know you better.

02

Give us time to review

Each application is reviewed so we can grow the community with members who make it better.

03

Join the TED Countdown Community

If approved, you’ll receive your registration details to join this gathering of ambitious and thoughtful leaders.

What it’s like to attend TED Countdown

“Let me sincerely thank TED Countdown for enabling the uncomfortable conversations we urgently need…on a global scale.”

- Amina J. Mohammed, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General

“This is the best collection of climate solutions that I’ve ever seen put together.”

- Johan Rockström, Scientist

“I left the Summit in Scotland without a shadow of a doubt that the opportunities related to climate have the potential to be transformative for the firm…”

- Doug Sieg, Lord Abbott CEO

Apply

We seek new community members to join our invitation-only Summit to grow this collaborative climate community. We welcome applications from individuals who are leaders in their field and align with our mission to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis.