[Cover Article] Adressing Climate Intersectionality in India
A multi-dimensional approach toward poverty alleviation, livelihoods and agriculture India has made carbon reduction commitments which will cost $4.5 trillion approx. to implement[1], yet only a fraction of philanthropic giving in the country (2% of a $9 billion market in 2019) is directed at climate action[2]. While government budgets and priorities are beginning to align with […]
10 Steps to Assess High Quality Nature-Based Solution Projects and Credits
3 min read Investing in nature is key to addressing the biggest crises we face today – climate change and biodiversity loss. Nature can provide up to 37% of the climate change mitigation required until 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming below 2°C. We need to bridge the nature funding gap […]
A Collaborative Approach to Public Health: Role of Markets and the Private Sector in Enhancing Access to Health for a Billion Indian
5 min read Noted author, C.K. Prahalad had highlighted that the fortune lies at the bottom of the pyramid. This theme emerged as the centrepiece at the South Asia Social Investment Summit 2022 panel on Opportunities for Private Sector for Transforming Primary Healthcare to Leave No One Behind. Quoting Mr. Ram Kumar, IAS, MD NHM […]
A Generation of Change-Makers
This report, written in partnership with SymAsia Foundation, Creditsuisse’ philanthropic arm, takes a deep dive into emerging trends in philanthropy across Asia as seen through the journeys of 5 prominent givers who are each redefining what it means to be impact-driven. The profiles offer local as well as regional insights from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, […]
A Guide for Decision-Making That Optimises Impacts on Well-Being
1 min read In a world facing serious challenges of inequality, climate change and wellbeing, organisations have a responsibility to act upon, and be responsive to, these challenges by purposefully making decisions that optimise the positive impact their activities have. Making decisions based on optimising the social value or impact that an organization can make […]
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 […]
Addressing Critical Needs Through Innovative Social Impact Solutions in India
4 min read Radha Goenka, Director of RPG Foundation is a philanthropist, mom and passionate writer. When she returned from the US in 2008, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was relatively a new concept in India. At that time, all CSR initiatives of RPG Group Companies were being run independently. She brought structure to this system […]
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 […]
Alignment and Execution: Private, Public and Social Sector Actors Must Address Girls’ Education Together
5 min read Just a few weeks ago, the world welcomed 2023. As we enter the fourth year since the global pandemic hit, it’s increasingly clear that now is a crucial time for the state of education. Nobody is more at risk than the young women around the world who face enormous challenges to access […]
Alliance Webinar: The Future of Philanthropy in Asia
Asian philanthropists pivoted almost immediately to tackle the first wave of the pandemic, reflecting the flexible, innovative and catalytic nature of philanthropy. As funders rise to plug the gaps in the socio-economic system that have surfaced from the pandemic, we are seeing an evolution of leaders rising to meet the moment.
An Innovative Approach to Investing in Climate Resilient Economic Growth
There is an urgent need to stimulate private sector investment into areas highly disrupted by climate change, such as food production, water and natural environment, infrastructure, disaster risk management and nature based solutions. Climate finance for these sectors is critical to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, including alleviating poverty and supporting the most vulnerable groups. The question remains: how can we significantly scale up investment into goods and services which build resilience to the effects of climate change?
Are Young People the Key to Unlocking Asia’s Creative Economy?
There are more than 750 million young people aged 15 to 24 years in Asia Pacific. This accounts for over 60% of the world’s youth. However, the youth unemployment rate in APAC is approximately 10.5%, more than double the unemployment rate of the total working age population. Poor quality vocational education and lack of decent […]
As Temperatures Soar, Philanthropy Can Power up South Asia’s Cooling Innovators
Rising temperatures threaten lives and livelihoods around the world. From cities to remote villages, South Asian innovators are tackling the threat – working hand-in-hand with the communities in greatest danger.
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 […]
Asia’s Alternative Protein Revolution: Why Investors Should Take Notice
4 min read In a world where conventional animal protein sources face increasing scrutiny for their environmental footprint, alternative proteins are quickly becoming an attractive option for investors seeking to make sustainable, future-proof investments. From plant-based protein to cultivated meat and seafood, innovative startups and visionary entrepreneurs are providing an opportunity to make a dent […]
Asian Institute for Impact Measurement and Management launches the Inaugural Issue of Asian Impact Management Review (AIMR)
4 min read ZHONGLI (Taiwan News): Asian Institute for Impact Measurement and Management held the Asian Impact Management Review Inaugural Press Conference at National Central University on December 10, 2022. The event attracted over a hundred participants. Asian Institute for Impact Measurement and Management announced today the official launch of Asian Impact Management Review (AIMR). […]
At COP27, a Call to Root Climate Action and Justice in Land Rights for Women and Rural Communities
Co-Author: Rachel McMonagle 5 min read Anandini Munda’s typical day begins before dawn, as she rises to catch shrimp fries in the Chunār River, a distributary in the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh. Anandini, 34, and other women in her village sell the fries to shrimp farms to earn a living, though she says the fries […]
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 2021 Annual Review
Our 2021 Annual Review highlights how we created a network of 601 members across 33 countries in Asia by our mission to: CONNECT people with unusual allies, providing them with more perspectives and giving them access to make informed decisions, collaborate, and scale impact. LEARN by moving human and intellectual capital through the network to where it is needed […]
AVPN Consultation on G20 Principles for Scaling-up Private & Blended Finance in Developing Countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) & Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
The financed gap in the implementation of the 2030 SDG Agenda in developed countries is estimated at USD 3.7 trillion by the OECD in 2020 and we are less than a decade away. There is a lot to be done in every dimension, be it policy, financed, or technology. Extensive efforts need to be undertaken […]
AVPN Webinar: Behind the World’s First Social Impact Guarantee
What if you could get a money-back guarantee when funding impact? Ten years ago, the first Social Impact Bond (SIB) was launched, kickstarting a movement for impact investing and outcomes-based financing for social impact organisations all over the world. By adapting the SIB model to the Asian context and building on hard won lessons in […]
AVPN x Circulate Capital: Catalyzing Capital to Advance the Circular Economy and Fight Climate Change in Asia
The circular economy presents a specific and unique opportunity for corporate, private and development finance investors to capture the value of plastic waste as well as to meaningfully mitigate the climate impacts of plastic pollution, especially in Asia. According to Circulate Capital, we could eliminate almost 150 million tonnes of GHG from the environment if […]
AVPN’s Annual Review 2021/22
Our Annual Review highlights some of the key achievements from the past year, including impactful collaborations with our members and partners, insightful thought leadership reports, engaging events and webinars, and inspiring case studies that showcases the impact of social investments in Asia. We believe that by working together, we can drive meaningful impact where Asia […]
B Current Fusion Talks: Climate Tech Innovation Track
4 mins read No challenge poses a greater threat to our future generations than climate change. B Current Impact Investment believes that climate-tech startups, VCs, and research institutes play vital roles in leveraging emerging technologies to help fight climate change. They invited speakers from the three parties to have a dialogue on climate tech innovation. […]
B Current Fusion Talks: Climate Tech Innovation Track (Part 2)
3 min read On June 28th, for the second episode of B Current Fusion Talks: Climate Tech Innovation Track, B Current invited Aaron Fyke, Founder and Managing Partner at Thin Line Capital, Dr. Eli Leland, CTO and Co-Founder at Voltaiq, and Dr. Hong-Tzer Yang, Distinguished Professor at Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, […]
B Current Fusion Talks: The Data-driven Approach to Build Climate Resilience and Mitigate Business Risk
4 min read Climate change is an undeniable threat to the global economy and our continued survival. The world scrambles to build resilience as the earth’s climate swings from extremes, such as the heatwave, freezes and tropical cyclones. The risk for crops, property, and urban infrastructure dramatically increases. On Oct. 27th, 2022, B Current Impact […]
Better Cotton: GHG Emissions Reporting for an Ambitious Climate Change Approach
Photo Credit: Better Cotton/Demarcus Bowser Location: Burlison, Tennessee, USA. 2019. Cotton bales being transported from Brad Williams’ farm. 3 min read Reducing the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in our atmosphere is essential to limit the impacts of climate change. As agriculture is estimated to be responsible for up to 8.5% of all greenhouse gas […]
Bharat EdTech Initiative to Improve Learning Outcomes Through Home-Based Learning
The Right of the Child to Education was embedded as one of the core tenets of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It has since then, notably featured among all global imperatives, including the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.
Bridging Social Investors and Adaptation Innovation Grantees: Highlights from the AVPN-UNDP ISGAP Asia-Pacific Roundtable
4 min read The 2022 Joint Report of Future Earth, The Earth League and WCRP released at COP27, revealed that the extent to which humans can adapt to climate change is currently very limited. At the same time, the existing adaptation efforts are falling short of adequately reducing risks from past, current and future climate […]
Building Consensus for Impact Management and Measurement in Japan: A Case Study on the Japan Social Innovation and Investment Foundation
Japan Social Innovation and Foundation (SIIF) plays a key role in building a viable impact investing ecosystem in Japan by providing risk capital and impact management expertise to address pressing social issues, measuring and managing social impact generated by investees, and advocating system and policy changes.
Building ESG and Climate Resilience in the Financial Industry
Co-author: Christopher Soh, Sustainability Consultant at KPMG 3 min read How can financial institutions remain resilient against climate change and address rising Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) expectations of their stakeholders? The latest IPCC report in 2021 highlights the urgency to do more, decarbonise and limit global temperature rise. COVID-19 has also put social issues […]
Building Smarter Systems to Address the Elephant in the Due Diligence Room: Discrepancies in Startup Evaluations
Startup investors not only have a privileged front-row seat to the innovative ideas that are transforming our world, but they also play a role in deciding which solutions to scale through their investments. That’s a lot of responsibility. Yet, multiple studies suggest that there are discrepancies in how investors evaluate men-led and women-led startups, leading […]
Building Stronger Families: The Role of Parenting Programmes in Preventing Child Abuse
Lessons from Malaysia Raising Future Leaders: Why Southeast Asia Needs to Invest in Parenting Programmes New research (Lachman et. al., 2023) on the Naungan Kasih parenting program to prevent violence against children in Malaysian has shown impressive results. These types of programmes have shown notable social and economic returns across the globe and should be […]
Can Economic Empowerment of Women Combat Human Trafficking?
3 min read Human trafficking is an abhorrent practice that undermines human rights. Estimates indicate that women and girls may constitute up to 80% of the 24.9 million people trafficked globally, with more than 60% of those trafficked coming from the Asia region. Factors that make a person vulnerable to human trafficking include poverty, lack […]
Can ESG be the Silver Bullet for the Agriculture sector?
Agriculture is one of the world’s largest industries, providing daily sustenance and livelihoods for millions. However, there are growing concerns about agriculture’s contribution to climate change as the sector accounts for over 70% of freshwater use and 23% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Can We Shatter this Glass Ceiling that Holds Back Asian Growth and Equality?
4 min read Traveling across the developing world over the last 30 years, I have met hundreds of parents who had dreams for their daughters. To become a teacher, a doctor, to work in an office at a white-collar job. They want their children to have a better life than they have had. And when […]
