By Patrick Doherty

This coming weekend (September 22nd to 24th), the Social Good Summit is on again in New York City and we will be there. Held during UN Week when world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly, the event unites people from around the world around one common theme: the power of social media and technology to solve our world’s greatest issues. The summit is presented by the United Nations Foundation,the United Nations Development Programme, Mashable, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 92Y and Ericsson.

The ambitious centerpiece of the program is Monday September 24th's Global Conversation which aims to be "one of the largest online conversations driven by citizens inside their communities ever to take place." Along with concurrent events taking place in New York, Beijing & Nairobi, the conversation will be opened up to people around the world via the UN Development Programme’s 160+ satellite locations, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s worldwide network, and Mashable’s Meetups Everywhere community.

So far the Summit estimates there will be over 200 meet ups occurring in almost 100 countries around the globe. However, by using #SGSGlobal, anyone can contribute their suggestions, stories, and ideas. The ideas collected on the 24th will be shared globally. The goal is to create an ongoing discussion for the coming year and to ensure the best ideas reach far beyond the hallowed halls of the UN.

It's easy for anyone to join. Those of you here in Seattle can go to the local Mashable Meetup. You can also watch the Summit on YouTube and interact in real-time with the Social Good Summit community with the official hashtag, #SGSglobal.

The line up of speakers and topics at the New York event is impressive, including:

• Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer for The White House speaking on Innovation In Open Government,
• TMS “Teddy” Ruge, Co-Founder of Project Diaspora, which seeks to encourage the African Diaspora to make a difference in the lives of their communities of origin
• Nobel Peace Prize winner and creator of the micro-credit movement and founder of Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus, who will talk about the life-changing impact of mobile
• Asi Burak, Co-President, Games for Change

Alongside those speakers, there will also be three ex-prime ministers (New Zealand, Norway, Poland), as well as the usual smattering of actors in their Goodwill Ambassador modes. Other topics covered during the event include battling disease, political unrest, human trafficking, global sustainability and climate change, bridging the digital divide and the role of the millennial generation, and even the ocean - presented by a Cousteau no less!

The Social Good Summit will be a fascinating exercise in bringing the world together to create better outcomes for all people through digital technology and social media. I encourage you to watch the sessions on YouTube and participcate. As smart folks with expertise and interest in the social and digital world, lending your voices and ideas to the global conversation can only improve its chances of success and help create a better world for one and all.