Mind the Inequality Gap: More Poor People in Fewer Poor States
The development picture for this early new century is one of a world with fewer poor countries, but many poor people. Indeed, as the gap between rich countries and poor countries narrows, inequality within societies is on the rise. This major shift in the global profile of poverty is raising fundamental questions about the future […]
Corporate Volunteerism Bubbles Up for P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water
Across the globe, businesses are recognizing the expanding importance of corporate volunteer programs as an effective way to support their communities while increasing employee retention and engagement. The workforce of tomorrow demands corporate social responsibility. Millennials number 60 million in the U.S. and an estimated 86% want their work to make a positive impact on […]
Corporate Volunteerism Bubbles Up for P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water
Across the globe, businesses are recognizing the expanding importance of corporate volunteer programs as an effective way to support their communities while increasing employee retention and engagement. The workforce of tomorrow demands corporate social responsibility. Millennials number 60 million in the U.S. and an estimated 86% want their work to make a positive impact on […]
Putting social performance at the heart of our business
Anglo American’s Socio Economic Assessment Toolbox (SEAT) updated and now available With a significant footprint in the developing world, Anglo American is in a unique position to improve the prospects of communities by providing jobs, supporting local procurement and, indirectly, by funding major infrastructure development through the taxes and royalties we pay. We’re also able […]
RIO+20 – Business and Management Education Providers Must Work Closer together
By Clare Melford, CEO, IBLF At Rio+20 I attended the 3rd Global Forum for Responsible Management Education which is the official platform for management-related Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at Rio. I was there amongst almost 300 representatives of management-related academic institutions as one of the voices of business. We were there to consider the business […]
How to Boost Corporate Volunteering with Facebook
With all the news swirling around Facebook’s messy IPO, it’s important to remember one thing: nothing has changed about the site…yet. Despite shareholder lawsuits, NASDEQ fumbles and a stock price faceplant, Facebook is still a powerful tool that can be used to effect positive social change. And when it comes to corporate volunteering, Facebook is […]
The Volunteer Dating Game
In the world of those who volunteer to make a better world, some dream of settling down. But not you. Nosiree. You enjoy the variety of volunteering with many different organizations and causes. Last month it was a cancer nonprofit, today it’s a dog rescue. You heard that a literacy organization is having an awesome […]
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition – leveraging the role that business can play in Africa
Last month I was privileged to attend the G8 Symposium on global agriculture and food security in Washington DC. The presence of President Obama, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, African Heads of State and senior UK government representatives raised the profile of this important event. As part of the symposium, I joined a selected group […]
Implementing Innovative Public-Private Partnership Models to Fight Malnutrition
Ten years ago, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) was formed with one key challenge – to end malnutrition in the world’s poorest countries. Our plan was to improve access to healthier foods to those most at risk. During that time, we’ve reached over 610 million people with nutritious foods to help them reach […]
Water: Private Sector Solutions
Today’s rising populations and growing economies are demanding more and more water. But supply is limited, putting serious pressure on already-strained resources—a dangerous trend that will only intensify in the coming decades. If today’s collision course continues, a third of the world’s population will face serious water scarcity by 2030. It is an issue with […]
Unleashing the potential of entrepreneurs
The starting point for development may be different for each country, but the journey taken is often the same. As I have seen, time and again it is wealth creation, jobs and livelihoods, above all else, which help poor people to lift themselves out of poverty. In the developing world, small and medium enterprises hold […]
No future without sustainable agriculture
By 2050, the world will have to feed more than nine billion people. To meet this demand, current levels of global food production must double. This is not a new issue. Ten years ago, Nestlé was one of three major consumer goods manufacturers to found the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, the only global food industry initiative […]
Putting women at the heart of Africa’s economic future
On April 7th, 2012, Malawi elected its first female president. Mrs. Joyce Banda is the daughter of a policeman and the eldest of five children; her rise to power took her swiftly up through the ranks of a mainly conservative and male-dominated society. Mrs. Banda is the second woman to lead a country in Africa. […]
Future Fortified: A Campaign to Build Public Will for Nutrition
Our plan is simple: to engage new audiences to help make nutrition a global priority. While more than two billion people around the world suffer from a lack of proper nutrition and undernutrition is an underlying cause of 1 in 3 of all childhood deaths annually, nutrition interventions remain significantly underfunded. Evidence shows that good […]
Investing in Africa’s Entrepreneurs
Jacana recently completed an investment in Reltex Tarpaulins Africa in Kenya, where workers manufacture emergency relief materials for the humanitarian sector There is no denying that Africa is enjoying a period of unprecedented growth. Its economies are developing faster than anywhere in the world, its population is set to double by 2050 and an emerging […]
Unleashing The Potential Of Entrepreneurs In The Fight Against Poverty
The starting point for development may be different for each country, but the journey taken is often the same. As I have seen, time and again it is wealth creation, jobs and livelihoods, above all else, which help poor people to lift themselves out of poverty. In the developing world, small and medium enterprises hold […]
Expand the Evidence Base at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Photo credit: CARE/Kathryn Richards If we want to differentiate between responsible capitalism and business as usual in market based approaches to international development we need to expand the evidence base at the bottom of the pyramid. This was one of the conclusions drawn by seven panelists from the world of business, strategic management and development […]
Cultivating Potential: iDE UK and the Rise of the Female Farming Entrepreneur
Since its founding iDE UK has watched its projects transform the livelihoods and income opportunities of poor rural farmers in the developing world. However it is the potential in women that iDE UK sees as the greatest game changer of rural poverty. At iDE UK we have long recognised the important role that women play […]
The Challenges of Achieving Greater Transparency
Voûte, Nestlé Vice President and Global Head of Public Affairs At Nestlé we believe that actions speak louder than words. We have to deliver what we promise. We have to be transparent if we are to persuade our stakeholders, our partners, and our critics, that we are building our business in a long-term, sustainable way. […]
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies: Fighting Poverty and Profit at the Same Time
From extractive companies, to financial service firms, multinationals, to small social enterprises, Business Fights Poverty’s blogs capture the trend in how business and the social sector are redefining their relationships to tackle tough social problems. Curiously, multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies are absent from much of the conversation. Yet, it is difficult to find […]