US State Department Celebrates Collaboration
By Andrew O’Brien, Special Representative, Global Partnerships The word “partnership” seems to be everywhere these days — and the U.S. Department of State is proud to be at the center of it. While public-private partnerships (P3s) have been around for years, they are increasingly becoming a primary way to achieve our objectives in diplomacy and […]
Reaching the SDGS – New Alliances in Digital Development
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call on all of us to work as partners to end extreme poverty, fight inequality, and address climate change. Digital technologies enable government and citizen action towards these global goals. The rising ubiquity of mobile phones, the increased global use of communication and social media applications such as WhatsApp and […]
Business Impacts – Action Where It Matters
The UN’s Global Goals herald a new era where companies are being asked to play their part in solving some big global challenges. They require more action; collaboration; scaled impact; faster change. Business now has to step up. But where should companies focus their efforts? Which impacts matter most for development? In today’s fast-changing world, […]
A New Model for Gender Lens Partnerships
By Suzanne Biegel, Investment Director, SPRING, and Founder/Chief Catalyst, Women Effect On this 2016 International Women’s Day, it pays to reflect on the global partnership efforts achieved since 1975 – the International Women’s Year, when the United Nations (UN) officially started to commemorate the accomplishments towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. The theme set by […]
Changing Trade, Changing Lives
“Change is in your pocket: be the change you wish to see in the world.” At the Fairtrade Foundation we’re about to launch our new 2016-20 strategy. Like all of you, we’ve been exploring how we adapt to the many seismic shifts and trends, which will affect the ability of Fairtrade businesses and supply chains […]
What is the Point of International Women’s Day?
I can’t remember when or how I started observing International Women’s Day (IWD) but every year I ask myself the same questions about this day. The questions are: What is the point of International Women’s Day? Why do we need days like -International Women’s Day Has it helped advance African women’s fight for equality Is […]
Building More Resilient Health Systems
Last week, the Philippines became yet another country in a growing list to caution women to delay pregnancy[i] as the country braces itself against an outbreak of the Zika virus. The virus is already spreading rapidly across Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as parts of the US, causing the World Health Organization to […]
Clarity Matters in Inclusive Business
Inclusive businesses are commercially viable core-business models that provide at scale innovative and systemic solutions to the relevant problems of the poor and low-income people. While inclusive business is becoming increasingly popular, there is still a lot of confusion about what it is, how it addresses the poor, and how it works. Inclusive business models […]
Livelihood Agenda for Refugees and Host Communities
On 3rd and 4th February 2016, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the governments of the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany and Kuwait co-hosted an international conference on the Syrian regional crisis. In advance of this, CARE International, the UK Department for International Development, Business Fights Poverty and the Ethical Trading […]
Unlocking Solutions with Inclusive Business Innovations
Over 300 representatives of companies, social enterprises, and governments Asia-wide will gather next week at ADB for the 2nd Inclusive Business Forum for Asia. The forum, organized by ADB and 8 development partners, is one of the year’s most significant regional events on inclusive business in Asia. ADB defines inclusive business as a private sector […]
Why Renewable Energy Matters: What Your Business Can Do
Around a quarter of all carbon emissions come from electricity generation, and almost half of that is used by businesses. Following COP21 in Paris, where 195 countries agreed to keep global mean temperature rise 2 degrees below pre industrialised levels, the call for businesses to invest in renewable energy has never been so strong. Experts […]
Corporation Tax in the Modern World
Dr Aidan McQuade, Director, Anti-Slavery International In the wake of the recent controversies that have been sparked since the announcement of Google’s US $ 130 million settlement with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, it is worth contemplating, of all things, a few interrelated issues of political and moral philosophy; I find they can often help […]
How to Change the World: Do the Reverse
Interview with Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank, the pioneering Dhaka-based organization that spread microcredit and microfinance globally. Professor Yunus was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his transformative impact. Ashoka had a chance to catch up with him just before the 2016 World Economic Forum. Ashoka: […]
Local Young People Solving Global Challenges
“No career is a sure thing anymore. The uncertain, rapidly changing conditions in which entrepreneurs start companies is what it’s now like for all of us fashioning a career. Therefore, you should approach career strategy the same way an entrepreneur approaches starting a business.” – Thomas Friedman, LinkedIn Founder The world today is shaped by […]
Embracing the Promise of Technology for Social Progress
By Ryan Scott, Co-Founder, NetCreations As global leaders prepare to gather at the 46th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, I’ve been musing on the topic of their forthcoming discussion: Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The premise of this anointed age is that human progress is now fully oriented around science […]
Equality: What Does This Mean for Women in Kenya?
As Christine Lagarde, mother, head of the IMF and star of the global stage arrives at Davos this week, Hannah Haciku mother, entrepreneur and village authority will be working hard to feed and clothe her three children in Kenya. Two women, two very different lives. Christine may face a glass ceiling, the one Hannah faces […]
Breaking the Chains of Dependency for Girls and Women
Throughout history, girls and women have often been invisible outside the home. Even now, in 2016, there are countries where women are prevented from getting a job, from owning their own land and even from setting up a bank account. This strips them of their independence. For every aspect of their lives, these women are […]
Making Markets Work for Refugees
Ahead of the London Syria conference in early February, donors and governments in the region are working closely to agree a new plan for responding to the refugee crisis in the region, the private sector will be critical to its success. On the 4th of February the eyes of the world will turn to London, […]
Inequality and The Realities of Contemporary Slavery
By Dr Aidan McQuade, Director, Anti Slavery International This week, Oxfam reported that the wealthiest 1% of the world’s population own more than the rest of us combined. Or, put another way that “… runaway inequality has created a world where 62 people own as much as the poorest half of the world’s population.” In […]
How Can Digital Currencies Enable Financial Inclusion?
Uphold On January 26th, Tuesday, Women Advancing Microfinance UK are hosting a dinner in London to explore how innovations in financial technology, especially digital currencies, can further financial inclusion. Tickets to the event are available here. On the night, Diana Biggs from Uphold, the fastest growing money platform in the world since its launch in […]