Publication database

Filipinos faced a lot of challenges during and even before the COVID-19 pandemic.​ Inclusive businesses pave the way for businesses to empower poor communities and to help the Philippine economy recover faster.​ This video informs about the Inclusive Business Bill currently proposed in Congress and how it can help more Filipinos.​

Across the world, women play key roles as distributors and retailers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), however, the extent of their participation varies. This learning brief introduces how gender equality can be advanced within the distribution activities of the FMCG sector. It presents an emerging business case, the challenges, and recommendations to address these challenges. The brief is based on IFC projects in Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, and Sri Lanka; desk research; and interviews with market participants. The target audience comprises FMCG sales and distribution teams; FMCG sustainability teams; e-supply chain actors, including business-to business (B2B) distribution platforms; and investors seeking to accelerate gender equality.

The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) launched the Advancing Women’s Empowerment Fund (AWEF) in 2019 with support from the Visa Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The overall goal of AWEF-funded projects is to address the gender financing gap for women-owned small and growing businesses (SGBs) in developing economies. The first round of grantmaking, AWEF Asia, funded eight entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, Pakistan, and India, as well as programs serving the region as a whole. This report summarizes the lessons learned from these grants.

Through in-depth conversations with 21 successful women social entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia, this report looks at the varying pathways to success, success factors and challenges that are specific to them, and outlines recommendations for business development services to better respond to the needs of women leading early-stage social enterprises in the region. The report also includes profiles of successful women social entrepreneurs in the region.

This report presents the main messages of the Second ASEAN Inclusive Business Summit that took place on 1 November 2019 in Bangkok. As a result of efforts to promote inclusive business at the ASEAN and national levels, the majority of ASEAN Member States are engaging actively in inclusive business policy development. ASEAN leaders have commended and encouraged governments and private sector actors to continue promoting inclusive business, as stated in the ASEAN Chairman’s Statement of the 35th ASEAN Summit. A framework for the development of effective inclusive business policy instruments has emerged through the experience of frontrunner countries, highlighting eight strategic areas of inclusive business promotion.

The Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA) was formally launched in 2015 by the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and Grow Asia. PPSA serves as a multi-stakeholder platform to engage smallholder farmers and market players towards socio-economic growth and competitive advantage. This brief outlines goals and key activities of the country partnership.

Coffee for Peace's inclusive business approach is helping farming communities in the Mount Apo area. Premium coffee varieties were introduced and farmers trained to achieve higher yields, while best practices in processing, branding, and marketing coffee were also disseminated. Coffee for Peace was one of the finalists of the first ASEAN Inclusive Business Awards, which was held in 2017.