A New Wave of Corporate Social Impact: ESG Strategy of North East Asia
Northeast Asian (NEA) markets have seen a proliferation of capital and innovation towards tackling increasingly complex urban social and environmental challenges. The complexity and similarity of issues faced by NEA markets, call for greater collaboration and exchange of learning and insights on innovative tools and approaches to maximize impact. Join us in this webinar series […]
A Showcase of Climate-Smart Solutions – An Investor Perspective
While the world is still reeling from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing vision to build back better into a greener economy and to decarbonise the planet. This response to climate change is no longer the ‘right thing to do’ but an imperative in creating a sustainable future, placing an incentive for investors to include climate-smart solutions into their portfolio.
A Virtual Dialogue: Addressing the Crisis through Solidarity & Partnerships
The effects of the pandemic are reverberating, with varying degrees of severity, across all the sectors of the Indian economy. As the world prepares for the ‘new normal’ after COVID-19, every stakeholder, needs to take action to adapt to their new reality. It presents an opportunity for the Public sector, Private sector and Civil Society […]
Addressing the $2.5 trillion SDG Funding Gap with Private Investment Capital
The OECD 2020 report estimates there is a $2.5 trillion annual gap in the funds needed to deliver the SDGs by 2030. This funding gap has been further exacerbated by the pandemic. Investments into the impact space have grown rapidly with increasing focus from mainstream players across key global issues including climate change, economic […]
Advancing the Growth of Women-Led SMEs in Philippines: A Gender Lens in Policy & Investment
With the growing recognition of how women-led SMEs contribute to the Philippines economy, stakeholders across the sectors of policy and investment have been continuing their support throughout the COVID pandemic. As we look back on which solutions worked best and how to improve as we move forward, Investing in Women and AVPN will partner to […]
Asia Gender Equality Fund: Open Call for Applications Info Session
AVPN has launched the Call for application for the Asia Gender Equality Fund, an ambitious fund to raise and deploy USD $ 25 million for the next five years, to support women’s economic empowerment across Asia. By bringing together funders with a mission to address the challenges in gender equality amongst the most vulnerable communities […]
AVPN 2020 | Adapting to COVID-19: The Changing Face of Philanthropy
In the face of COVID-19 the philanthropy sector has had to rapidly adapt to the urgent needs of their grantees and broader communities.
AVPN 2020 | Aligning Investors on Impact Management
Despite the widely held belief that impact measurement and management is needed, questions remain: What is considered a “good” impact is highly debatable
AVPN 2020 | AVPN – SEED Climate Finance Lab Workshop
SMEs are economic engines in both developed and developing economies, and have a foundational role to play in the climate challenge in the years ahead.
AVPN 2020 | Bridging the Divide Between Climate and Gender Finance
The pillars of gender and climate are interconnected yet largely operate in silos. To promote more work and outcomes through this dual lens stakeholders on both sides must actively seek out alliances and share required knowledge and tools.
AVPN 2020 | Building the Case for Gender Lens Investing Across Asia
Asia is the second largest region for Gender Lens Investing (GLI), with USD 1.4b invested across 47 investment vehicles.
AVPN 2020 | Building the Policy Environment for SDG Financing in Asia-Pacific: Experiences in Integrated Financing Frameworks
It is more important than ever before that countries approach financing from a holistic perspective not only for their COVID-19 responses, but in how funds are allocated, spent and leveraged for the SDGs.
AVPN 2020 | Catalysing Philanthropy Through Innovative Approaches
This session focused on how the philanthropy sector can and should use its position of privilege to uncover innovative solutions and then provide visibility and capacity building that can bring these innovations to scale.
AVPN 2020 | Collaborating to achieve the SGDs
Speakers focused on ‘how to collaborate’, not just ‘why we should’. Mutual trust, a shared vision and co-creation from the ground-up are fundamental and including the broadest group of stakeholders is key. This goes beyond social investors and also includes large conglomerates, NGOs and even ‘unusual allies’.
AVPN 2020 | Country Deep Dives: Partnerships for Financing Sustainable Development in a Post COVID-19 Future
Joanne Manda of UNDP shared that financial instruments for a green recovery have a critical role to play as governments seek to meet SDG targets and contain the climate risks simultaneously
AVPN 2020 | Deal Share Live: Building Climate Resiliency of Frontline Communities Through Adaptive Solutions
In recognition of the urgency of the climate crisis there are a number of businesses being developed in the region looking at how to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
AVPN 2020 | Deal Share Live: Empowering Green Solutions Towards a Climate-Safe Future
This session showcases enterprises working on innovative solutions for climate mitigation. Solutions ranged from restoring kelp forests through responsible urchin ranching
AVPN 2020 | Developing Sustainable Solutions Across Asia
In this session experts on green building and plastics pollution addressed the challenges and investment opportunities in the Asia Pacific region.
AVPN 2020 | Driving Sustainable Finance Towards a New Economic Model
In recent years there has been a significant shift towards impact and ESG. The main drivers have been attractive returns
AVPN 2020 | Funding Systems Change in Asia: What Can Donors & Doers Learn from Each Other?
This panel explored how philanthropists and implementing organisations can address root causes of complex
AVPN 2020 | Future Skilling of Youth in Asia
The session presented an interesting blend of perspectives from funding organizations to social enterprises in the field of youth skilling.
AVPN 2020 | Harnessing the Power of Networks to Build a Better World
AVPN Chairperson and CEO opened the Conference with a rousing call to action for social investors reminding us of the need to define a “new normal” in the post-Covid-19 era. She stressed the importance of turning away from profit-maximisation, and rather, to leverage on collaborations and networks that maximise social impact.
AVPN 2020 | How Will COVID-19 Affect the Outlook for Impact Investment in Southeast Asia
Even as different countries experience varying degrees of physical lockdown and restrictions from COVID-19
AVPN 2020 | Improving Outcomes for Women and Girls Across Asia
The gender agenda has many sub-issues, which can be intimidating or even paralysing for funders looking to get involved.
AVPN 2020 | Interview with Julie-Ann Guivarra, DFAT Ambassador for Gender Equality
Ambassador Julie-Ann Guivarra stresses that bridging the gender gap is not only the right thing to do, it also results in economic gains.
AVPN 2020 | Investing for Impact Across Your Portfolio
As impact investing is becoming more mainstream across Asia and there are several investors who have been leading this movement.
AVPN 2020 | Investing Trends in South Asia Post COVID-19
Panelists addressed the current uncertainty of the recovery trajectory in India and noted that with skyrocketing unemployment and mass urban-rural migration, public-private partnerships and unconventional thinking will be key. ‘The role of government is vital, as is flexible capital and digitisation,’ said Saleem Khan, of The British Asian Trust.
AVPN 2020 | Islamic Capital for Impact – Pathway to Achieving SDGs in Asia
Somewhere between USD300 billion and USD1 trillion is raised per annum via Zakat (the 2.5% of unused saving Muslims donate to charity).
AVPN 2020 | Keynote Address by José Viñals, Group Chairman of Standard Chartered PLC
Jose talked about the need to drive finance towards a new economic model which has been reinforced by Covid-19. As a bank they have focused on the employees, clients and their communities and ensuring continued resilience and agility. While banks were part of the problem in the 2008 financial crisis, this time he sees banks as part of the solution. Standard Chartered has put USD1 billion towards frontline sectors and also created a fund of USD50 million towards those most hit by the pandemic.
AVPN 2020 | Maximising Social Impact within Family Offices
This session highlighted that many see conventional investing and social impact on different poles but in fact asset owners should consider aligning their full portfolio with their values, leveraging various asset classes to achieve different goals. On one side of this spectrum there is conventional public securities using ESG-integration, then there are impact funds that can offer deeper impact with still competitive risk-adjusted returns, and on the other end of the spectrum there is concessionary capital for social enterprises or more impact-first funds and finally philanthropy which of course would focus only on impact returns with no financial return expected.
AVPN 2020 | Nourishing Asia: Scaling Impact at the Intersection
An underlying narrative of this session was that nutrition needs to be part of the COVID-19 response. The pandemic crisis is already discriminating against people living in poverty as well as women and girls because malnutrition is one of the largest contributors to a weakened immune system.
AVPN 2020 | Promoting Gender and Inclusive Development through Innovations and Health Financing
This session focused on the intersection of gender and health with an emphasis on mobilising public and private sector capital.
AVPN 2020 | Public-Private Solutions Sandbox
Blended Finance was discussed as an alternative investment that supports a project before it reaches full commercial viability.
AVPN 2020 | Reflections From COVID-19 on Inequality Through Education
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique barriers to education, especially for girls in the rural areas of India.
AVPN 2020 | Regulatory and Policy Approaches to Catalyse Green Sustainable Finance
En Lee of LGT said it best, “Investing sustainably is no longer an option, it is an imperative.”
AVPN 2020 | Scaling Excellence in Education
Dr. Andreas Schleicher of OECD highlighted the urgency of changes needed in education to prepare learners with knowledge