Time for a Decade of Collaboration
“The good news is that the 2030 Agenda is coming to life…and we are making progress…But let us be clear: we are far from where we need to be…That is why today,…I am issuing a global call for a decade of action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.” António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, […]
Is it Time for Davos to Decelerate?
I visited the event once again for what I think must be my 15th trip— and it evokes mixed emotions every time I attend. Here’s how I described the Davos experience in my book, sponsored by Business Fights Poverty, released in 2018. “The Intrapreneur: Confessions of a corporate insurgent” questions the Davos phenomenon: So what’s […]
Entering a Decade of Action: Making the SDGs a Matter of Priority
As we enter 2020 the clock is ticking louder than ever before when it comes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While progress has been made since the SDGs were launched in 2015, we are not advancing at the speed or scale required. In recognition of this, the United Nations has called for 2020 to […]
Reflections from the UK-Africa Investment Summit
Last week’s UK-Africa Investment Summit brought together a wealth of businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa. Involving over 800 delegates, 21 African countries, dozens of side events, and hundreds of meetings, the summit meant that 2020 started with a bang. Having invested in […]
Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management for Inclusive Business
Rabayl, what does it mean to be the Impact Specialist at Business Call to Action? I see my role as a coach and guide, working with inclusive businesses to help them better understand and manage the effects they are having on low income populations, whether they are direct or indirect, positive or negative. Most companies […]
The Real Meaning of ‘Business with Purpose’
‘Business with a purpose’. ‘Stakeholder capitalism’. ‘An economy with a conscience’. These are the catchphrases I hear on everyone’s lips this week at Davos. We could certainly do with stakeholder capitalism. Capitalism’s great engine of growth has also become one of obscene inequality. This week Oxfam revealed that the world’s billionaires own more wealth than 4.6 […]
The Triangle That Will Fix Capitalism
It is remarkable how the agenda in this 50th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting has shifted towards calling for a move to stakeholder capitalism, as issued by Klaus Schwab in the new Davos Manifesto. The theme of the 2020 forum itself is: “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”. How do we get there […]
The Company of the Future Must Do Well by Doing Good
The world has got richer, but one billion people still go to bed hungry. Helping society should be a core part of business, not an add-on. A multistakeholder approach ensures long-term success. In the past 50-100 years, we have created immense prosperity. In 2019, global GDP is expected to reach almost US$ 90,000 billion, compared to […]
What Will Last Mile Distribution Look Like in 2025? Six Predictions for an Emerging Sector
Beneficial household products such as solar lights, improved cookstoves, water purifiers, nutritional supplements and agricultural inputs can play a significant role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. But these products can’t make an impact if they don’t reach the last mile customers who could benefit from them. And since they often live in rural communities […]
Top Stories of 2019
While the social impact and business agenda is shaping up for 2020, we first wanted to share the most popular stories we published in 2019 with you. A huge thank you to the authors featured in this list and to all of you who made contributions. We hope these stories inspire you and welcome your submissions this year*. 10 Seven Key Learnings for Corporate Partnership Leads in […]
Positive Impact Tool – Shape the Future of Investor Impact Measurement
Introducing the Positive Impact measurement tool. The UNEP FI wants businesses to help shape how this tool is developed further. Hear from Careen Abb in this exclusive presentation to find out more about how the tool works. Your feedback will help shape the future of this work. Note, the UNEP Finance Initiative’s Positive Impact tool […]
5 Reflections on How International Donors Help Businesses Scale their Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The session was part of a wider Challenge supported by the UK’s Department for International Development. In this article, I summarise some of the key themes that came out during the conversation in New York. 1. The Urgent Need All participants recognized the significance of this moment – in which no country is currently on […]
Watch the Videos: Business Fights Poverty NYC 2019
Timed to coincide with the UN General assembly Week, our annual event has become a popular, high-energy gathering that brings together a select group of senior professionals from business and the international development community. We recognise the power of bringing together the right people in a focused and action-oriented way. That is why our audience […]
Focus on Dirty Legacy Sectors to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals
This type of progress has, understandably, been most evident among companies for which the required changes are relatively “easy,” such as those from the pharmaceutical, water, and food sectors. By contrast, little progress has been made by sectors contributing substantially to poor health and climate change, including companies that profit from tobacco, coal, palm oil, […]
Can We Really Take Big Business Seriously When it Comes to the SDGs?
Carol and the organization’s then Programme Director, Raja Jarrah, had hatched a plan and it was to be my fate, attending that July event, to end up playing the role of their main protagonist. Their plan was, and remains, a simple one: create a multi-functional team inside of CARE to work with businesses and markets […]
Systems Leadership Can Change the World – But What Exactly Is It?
Transforming a complex system – such as the energy, health or food system – is a monumental task requiring coordinated action by people with very different viewpoints. Systems-change initiatives often engage hundreds of organizations – governments, companies, civil society organizations, worker associations, research institutions and others – combining their capacities to achieve a shared goal. […]
To Change the World, Business Must Share its Profits and Power
Achieving the SDGs will take more than redefining the role of business in our unequal society. This year’s UN General Assembly is finally here, and pledges to once again achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have already begun. Much of this activity is focused on the private sector, a key actor in delivering on these ambitious […]
Being Authentic About Purpose: From Words to Action
Recently, a group of 181 CEOs, collectively representing over 15 million employees and more than $7 trillion in annual revenues, declared that they are no longer putting shareholders before everyone else. The “Statement of Purpose of a Corporation”, issued by the Business Roundtable, is a bold re-imagining of the principles of corporate governance that they […]
How Businesses Can Help Achieve the SDGs for Refugees
The SDGs were launched, to great fanfare, as a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for everyone. As states signed up to the Global Goals in 2015 they pledged to leave no-one behind and prioritise the fast-tracking of action for those with furthest to go. Yet four years on, research shows that […]
Purpose Goes Hungry Without Culture
Business Fights Poverty is currently asking: “How can we embed Purpose authentically into business.” But what can this look like in practice, and where do we go from here? First, the Purpose has to be worth embedding! In other words, it has to be inspiring and convincingly explain how the business creates value for itself […]