Tackling Gender Inequality in Pakistan
Following a trip to Pakistan, Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan tells us about a very interesting project implemented by our MFI partner AKHUWAT. Transgender people, or khwaja siras as they are often referred to in Pakistan, routinely face a high level of discrimination in access to health, housing, education and employment as well as ridicule, intimidation […]
Mining for Social Value in Botswana
Societies across the world are increasingly demanding more value from their natural resources. Philippe Mellier, chief executive officer of the De Beers group of companies, says they are right to do so. The discovery of diamonds in Botswana at Orapa by De Beers geologists in 1967, shortly after the country gained independence, has led to […]
Global Goals Could Trigger a Burst of Innovation
Leaders from 193 nations are converging on New York for the U.N. General Assembly. They are expected to adopt the sustainable development goals, which are not short on ambition. Beginning with a goal to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere,” they cover gender equality, food security, peace, health, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities, […]
Increasing Climate Resilience of BoP Communities
Since Monday, November 30th, 2015, representatives from over 190 countries gather at the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21) with the imposing goal of developing a legally binding and universal agreement on climate to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. While the agreement to limiting the global temperature increase to less than 2°C […]
Bringing Smallholders into The Global Market
Investing in smallholders has the most immediate impact on poverty reduction and employment in Africa, but how can larger businesses bring smallholder development into their business models? Smallholder farmers produce the majority of Africa’s food, and the sector as a whole is responsible for the greatest number of jobs in the continent by far. At […]
Purposeful Leadership: Human Centered Design to Fight UK Poverty
Creating Businesses from Nothing
“Entrepreneurship is key to tackling youth unemployment”, said H.E. Joyce Kikafuna, Ugandan High Commissioner to the UK, at an event held by Grow Movement on Tuesday 17 November. The event was held to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week, the world’s largest celebration of entrepreneurs which takes place in 160 countries around the world. From networking events […]
The SDG Industry Matrix – Examples Across 7 Industries
Over the last few years I have been to many meetings where companies have been brought together to identify ways they can collaborate in pursuit of sustainable development. The conveners have been varied – corporate responsibility networks, NGOs and various international bodies. The outcome has always been the same: zero action because (despite multiple meetings) […]
Working Together Towards the SDGs
As people from around the world start to focus on how to implement the Sustainable Development Goals–the ambitious vision for ending poverty and protecting our planet– they are exploring new ways of engaging and partnering with each other to achieve greater scale and systemic impact. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which sets out the […]
The UN, Business and the Sustainable Development Goals
On 25 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to shift the world onto a path of inclusive, sustainable and […]
Five Steps to Family-friendly Holidays
Unicef UK Whether it’s keeping cranky toddlers busy or trying to impress moody teens, sometimes travelling with children can be tough. That’s why an increasing number of companies are offering child-friendly holidays – where kids’ pools, outdoor activities and baby-sitting services offer beleaguered parents the hope of a hassle-free stay. But if we look outside […]
Collective Business Action to Reduce Maternal Mortality
“If you want to go far, go together,” said Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile phone operator, known for the incredibly successful M-PESA payments platform which has transformed the way money changes hands in Kenya. This time Collymore was making news during the recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit at the United Nations […]
Business and the SDGs – Building Blocks for Success
With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) now adopted, attention is shifting to how they will be delivered. While responsibility will ultimately fall to government, leaders across sectors now recognise that the challenges are too great and too systemic for any one of them to tackle alone, and that business’ contribution will be pivotal. There is […]
Radical Partnerships to Give Newborns a Healthier Start
The first month of life can be dangerous. In 2013, almost three million babies worldwide lost their lives during those initial four weeks – a quarter due to infection. Many of these deaths could be prevented if the appropriate healthcare was within reach at the right time, in the right place. Newborn babies, wherever they […]
SDGs: How to Translate Words into Action?
As we all know, a few weeks ago the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by UN member states. The question asked by many companies is: “What are the linkages between business and the SDGs?” Clearly, the SDGs cannot succeed without support from business to design and scale up sustainable solutions. In turn, the SDGs […]
The Role of Business in the Fight Against Slavery
Today, there are an estimated 21 million people in slavery, in every country and region of the globe. 5.5 million of whom are children. Every person who wears cotton, carries a mobile phone, eats prawns or chocolate, or watches the FIFA World Cup, is implicated in this, because many of that 21 million are enslaved […]
The New Era of Inclusive Business to Achieve the SDGs
The Business Call to Action (BCtA) held this year’s Sixth Annual Forum on September 24th in New York City in conjunction with the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and the Sustainable Development Summit 2015. With community support from Business Fights Poverty, the event convened over 150 people from BCtA member companies, development […]
Do Companies Have Obligation to Help Syrian Refugees?
“When we can’t afford both medicine and food, I tie scarves around my boys’ bellies at night so they don’t wake up crying from stomach aches because they are hungry.” —Fatmeh, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon The Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East is a daily heartbreak that eludes simple solutions. Thousands are dying […]
How Successful Partnerships Will Fuel Agenda 2030
(SHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images) By Fiona Koch, Communications Manager, Ashoka Ireland All eyes were on New York last week as the UN launched its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); a new package of economic, social and environmental objectives designed to replace the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With 17 overarching aims broken down into 169 targets, the […]
Lifting Farmers Out of Poverty in Honduras
My family has been farming in Honduras for generations. In fact, at one time, my father was the largest cotton producer in the country, and all of my siblings and I studied agriculture while at university. So we know the important role that agriculture plays in lifting communities out of poverty, solving hunger issues and […]