Economic Development

Economic Development Strategies to Combat Global Poverty

How can business help drive a more equitable society?

Hosted with Barclays Interviewees: Stella Tran, Senior Associate, Acumen America April Dominguez, CEO, Handsome App
icon-content-video-grey

How do you create a sustainable and ethical supply chain for decarbonization? Lessons from mining

Hosted with Anglo American The session focused on how to create sustainable and ethical supply chains for decarbonization. It built on many of the
icon-content-video-grey

Systems change for social and ecological transformation: putting nature at the heart of scaling impact

A narrow understanding of systems thinking is holding social impact non-profits back from creating transformative change. As long as ‘natural systems’ remain the domain of environmental non-profits alone, we perpetuate an arbitrary separation between nature and humans – one that suits the drivers of our exploitative systems. Instead, we need to think about our systems as social-ecological and recognise that nature is the concern of social impact makers too.
icon-content-article-grey

What difference does tackling restrictive gender norms make to micro-enterprise and other social impact programmes?

Hosted with Hand in Hand International Gender norms restrict the lives of women and girls across the world. Drawing on new research and key
icon-content-video-grey

How do we build a living wage movement?

Welcome by Zahid and Yvette Torres-Rahman, Founders, Business Fights Poverty Followed by a Fireside Chat with: Marina Leal, Sustainability and Human Rights Manager, Natura
icon-content-video-grey

How do we apply a climate justice lens to build business and community resilience?

This session, hosted with Change by Degrees, explored how businesses can put people at the heart of their climate actions. What does climate justice
icon-content-video-grey

How can business best support the livelihoods of refugees?

This session, hosted with Visa, explored how businesses can best support the livelihoods of refugees. What models of engagement of the business community to
icon-content-video-grey

Global voices on climate justice – Highlight

We heard about insights, priorities and actions by members of our community and beyond from around the world including Fiji, Ghana, Uganda, India, Sudan,
icon-content-video-grey

Four Essential Elements for the “Just” in “Just Transitions”

The concept of “just transition” – a whole-of-society approach to decarbonisation that respects human rights while promoting sustainable development, the eradication of poverty, and the creation of decent work and quality jobs – has come increasingly centre stage in national and international discussions on finance, energy, agriculture, and other key industrial transitions to net-zero. 
icon-content-article-grey
Group of people walking in hard hats and overalls at work

How Storytelling Can Paint a Full Picture of Impact for Businesses 

Across the globe, inclusive businesses are making differences in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable – from empowering rural women to improving access to education. However, plain numbers struggle to capture the breadth of important work they are doing to investors, potential partners, and the people they aim to help the most. To bring their work to life, inclusive businesses can use authentic storytelling – stories of successes but also challenges and realities on the ground.
icon-content-article-grey

Business Fights Poverty Global Goals Summit 2023

Hybrid Summit (Online, New York, London, Nairobi). Three days of highly interactive events timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This is
event-grey

Effective Partnerships: Key to Supporting Climate Vulnerable Communities

Practical Action’s purpose for almost 60 years has been to work with people living in poverty so that they can transform their lives and influence wider systems change so that the changes can be sustained and scaled. This now means that almost everything we do with communities, business or government includes dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis.
icon-content-article-grey

To Build Thriving Cocoa Communities, Educate the Children

In cocoa-growing communities, advancing education pays dividends far beyond the classroom. Because the forces affecting the industry are so deeply intertwined, when children go to school and adults get training, the surrounding communities benefit in myriad ways. That’s why Cargill has been investing in schooling for children in cocoa growing communities – and the adults around them.
icon-content-article-grey

Five Lessons from Ten Corporate-Charity Partnerships

At CARE Laurie Lee worked with ten of the UK’s largest FTSE100 companies, here he reflects on all of those experiences and distils the key lessons for companies to have a positive impact on poverty and the environment, and how companies, charities and governments can work well together.
icon-content-article-grey
Woman smiling, Selling Banana's on a stall

New Research Reveals the Benefits and Costs of Gender-Smart Technical Assistance to SMEs and Investors

From 2019-2022, impact investors, AlphaMundi Foundation, Acumen, AHL Venture Partners, Root Capital, SEAF and Shell Foundation launched the Gender-Smart Enterprise Assistance Research Coalition (G-SEARCh) consortium to conduct new research in the gender lens investing community. Read more on their findings of the missed opportunities for impact investors and companies.
icon-content-article-grey
Women on a blue background with sewing machine

Why Investing in Informal Women Workers is Critical to Maintaining Resilient Supply Chains

Over 60% of the world’s employed population make their living through informal work, with no access to formal contracts or protection. During shock events, these workers face immense hardship, receiving little or no support. Businesses, in partnership with NGOs like ActionAid, can address human rights risks and improve business continuity by investing in informal workers.
icon-content-article-grey
push at Gandhi statue

Being a Climate Activist with Pushpanath Krishnamurthy

What does it take to be a climate activist? Social Impact Pioneer and climate activist Pushpanath Krishnamurthy talks about what motivates and drives him to give up an easy life and devote it to campaigning for climate justice.
icon-content-podcast-grey
Profile Photo Chelsea Hodgkins

NGO Advocacy with Chelsea Hodgkins, Oxfam America

How can civil society hold businesses and governments to account? This podcast examines the role of NGO advocacy and activism in pushing for better social and environmental outcomes.
icon-content-podcast-grey
Two doctors walking side-by-side in a village.

Fostering Innovation in Healthcare Financing for Vulnerable Populations

Traditional health insurance models are not suitable for low-income segments, leaving millions of people globally financially vulnerable to health shocks. New approaches to financing healthcare are more urgently needed than ever. The Swiss Re Foundation 2023 Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award provides USD700k to accelerate entrepreneurial approaches to improving financial access to healthcare for low-income populations.
icon-content-article-grey
Shadab Khan in workshop arms crossed

Why the Burden on Business Women to ‘do it all’ Must Stop

Gender norms are stunting women-led enterprises, as revealed in a new report from CARE’s Ignite program. The research confirms that women entrepreneurs worldwide are so bound by gender norms, they often cannot grow their businesses – meaning less income for the household, less employment in the community and less money into the local economy.
icon-content-article-grey

What do we mean by "Economic Development"?

Explore how economic growth can significantly reduce poverty through innovative business initiatives and strategic planning. Join us in making a difference.

Sub-topics within this category