In this section, we will update you with announcements from the ecosystem of inclusive business, pre-selected according to their relevance for inclusive business ventures.
High-level Government officials, executive managers from inclusive businesses, support agencies and international organisations gathered today in Kuala Lumpur for the first National Forum on Inclusive Business for Malaysia, organised by SME Corporation Malaysia, an agency under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development, with the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN).
Credit Suisse is launching an ambitious push into responsible investing. The move comes as wealth managers eye up a new generation of rich clients, whom they believe want to make money more purposefully. The Swiss bank wants to manage more than 100 billion francs ($100.7 billion) in line with sustainable investment criteria, by the end of next year, it said in a statement on Friday. The push is championed by Marisa Drew, a high-profile former investment banker who enjoys the trust of CEO Tidjane Thiam.
4 September 2019: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released a proposed set of standards to guide private fund managers towards investments that advance the SDGs. The standards are open for comment and consultation through 4 December 2019. The proposed standards titled, ‘SDG Impact Practice Standards for Private Equity Funds,’ aim to help the private sector move from interest in the SDGs to adopting good practice on SDG investments.
The survey by OECD will ask respondents about responsible business activities carried out by their company in order to understand how agribusinesses in Southeast Asia are implementing responsible business practices and in particular risk-based due diligence across agricultural supply chains. There is also a strong interest in understanding how the recommendations in the OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains (OECD-FAO Guidance) are being incorporated into company policy and actions. The survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.
Global consultancy firm Palladium has announced a US$40 million impact investment fund aimed at bridging the financing gap for small businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Palladium Impact Fund I will provide capital for SMEs in emerging markets, focusing on agribusiness value chains and off-grid clean energy in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. Palladium said it aims to alleviate poverty and economically empower over 500,000 rural households, creating at least 3,500 full-time jobs.
Thirty-four leading global firms commit to tackling inequality by joining G7 Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG) coalition powered by the OECD. The B4IG coalition was launched at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Biarritz, France, taking place from 24 to 26 August 2019. Spearheaded by Emmanuel Faber, Danone Chairman and CEO, the coalition brings together 34 leading multinationals with more than 3 million employees worldwide and global revenues topping $1 trillion.
Kenya plans to promote the use of technology in agriculture in order to boost the country’s food security, said Jerome Ochieng, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology at the
High-level Government officials, executive managers from inclusive businesses, intermediary and international organizations and other public and private stakeholders gathered in Phnom Penh today for the First Inclusive Business Forum for Cambodia, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Handcraft, with the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN).
The first Annual Conference of the Private Sector Development Research Network will focus on inclusive firms and markets and consider questions around characteristics of inclusive business, ways to measure impact, and ways to support inclusion by a range of actors. The event is taking place in Geneva on the 12th and 13th December 2019. Papers should be submitted by 1st September 2019.
Princess Haifa Al Mogrin, Saudi Arabia, announced the priorities for her country’s G20 Presidency in 2020, underscoring women’s empowerment and youth, infrastructure, food security, energy, human capital, climate change, inclusive business, water, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).