Economic Development

Economic Development Strategies to Combat Global Poverty

A Great Reset On Disability

Poor treatement and downright discrimination against disabled people in the workplace are things we don’t ever want to go back to. David Grayson argues that businesses and society need a “reset” on disability, and hopes to see the sustainability-related business led networks becoming much more proactive in making the links between disability and the achievement of the SDGs.
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The GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation

The GSMA, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) have announced the launch of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation. The objective of this new Fund is to help accelerate the testing, adoption and scalability of digital innovations that enable the world’s most vulnerable populations to adapt to, anticipate and absorb the negative impacts of climate change.
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How COVID-19 has accelerated financial inclusion and reinforced the need for digitalisation

Two billion people across the globe lack access to formal financial services and approximately 90% of these live in developing countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated growth but also increased the danger that those at the very margins of society, could get left behind. A new study examines crucial lessons learned over the past 12 months from organisations striving to continue to support vulnerable people access finical services throughout the pandemic, to prevent vital progress from being undone. 
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Refocus, retool, reset: insights from a COVID-19 rapid response & recovery programme

YBI today launches a new report ‘Refocus, Retool, Reset: Insights from Youth Business International’s COVID-19 Rapid Response & Recovery Programme’, sharing our learnings and insights from YBI’s Rapid Response and Recovery Programme, supported by Google.org and delivered by a total of 34 YBI network members and delivery partners across the EMEA, APAC and MENA regions.
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We can’t win the race to zero without financing a just rural transition

Recent commitments by financial institutions to align with net zero raise the question: where is all that money going to go? The food and land use sector offers unique investment opportunities that can reduce carbon emissions in a cost effective manner, while also addressing biodiversity loss and inequality. This must be done in a people-centered way, contributing to a just rural transition.
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Regenerative agriculture creates climate resilience with Oliver Furechi, Evalyn Akoth and Sarah Roberts

Regenerative agriculture creates climate resilience. Learn from Kenyan farmer Evalyn Akoth and Practical Action.
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Carol Weis and Neha Misra

By one estimate the demand for photovoltaic installers (or solar energy electricians) is projected to grow 52 percent from 2020 to 2030. Carol Weis and Neha Misra – both part of Remote Energy examine how we train up a new global workforce of solar installers
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Business and forest communities can work together – Kinari Webb

Communities and business can save forests explains Kinari Webb. Why stopping deforestation is about the people.
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The role of social procurement for inclusive value chains

By definition, social procurement leverages the purchasing power of companies to achieve broader social impact objectives. It goes beyond responsible sourcing which integrates and manages ESG criteria into the procurement process. Instead, it focuses on buying goods, materials, or services from social businesses with the explicit intention to create net positive impact.
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How cooperatives benefit smallholder farmers with Hileena Eshetu and Mark Blackett

Smallholder farmers and agribusiness are benefiting from market ecosystem alliances. Hileena Eshetu and Mark Blackett from AMEA explain how. Hear about cooperative farming, access to business supply chains and resilience.
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Investing in poverty reduction and global growth with Alicia Phillips Mandaville

How do you effectively spend billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money to help fight global poverty? And how do you invest for climate resilience and account for the unknown such as the risks of pandemics? We hear from Alicia Phillips Mandaville who is the Vice President of the Department of Policy and Evaluation at The Millennium Challenge Corporation (the MCC)
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Why does so little funding go to women entrepreneurs, and what can we do about it?

According to the World Economic Forum, it will take over 250 years to achieve gender economic parity. Currently, only two per cent of venture capital goes to women-led startups. While investing in women entrepreneurs alone cannot fix the problem, it could help bridge this gap and reap benefits for men and women alike. What can bankers, entrepreneurs, and support organisations do to shift more capital to women entrepreneurs?
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Creating Economic Opportunity in the Northern Triangle: Breaking Down Barriers to Growth to Stimulate Recovery

The Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Fragility caused by poverty, violence and corruption are drivers of migration — exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and two back-to-back hurricanes in November 2020. A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recommends the U.S. government prioritize reforms and programs that will reduce the barriers to growth for small and medium enterprises.
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Let’s learn from local communities and step up more to create climate and social impact

An article from the latest edition of CLUED-iN, giving hands-on insights on how exactly inclusive businesses are already living up to climate and social impact expectations ahead of COP26, and what is needed to help other entrepreneurs to step up.
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Failing to Win: Lessons from an entrepreneur who went ‘all in’

After backpacking across Africa in search of changemakers building scalable, high-impact businesses, Canadian entrepreneur Mike Quinn convinced his retired parents to mortgage their house and lend him $100,000 to co-found Zoona, one of the continent’s earliest fintechs. That risk paid off big time, as Zoona went on to process $2.5 billion of transactions and generate $26 million in income for thousands of micro-entrepreneurs across Zambia and Malawi.
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The pandemic, supply chains and gendered impacts

Rita Mendez, impacts senior coordinator at ISEAL, shares the findings of a recent paper on gender and gender risks across the supply chain.
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Sustainability systems in the next decade of action on business and human rights

Vidya Rangan, impacts and evidence senior manager at ISEAL, discusses the role of sustainability systems in providing an enabling environment for the systemic change needed to holistically progress on human rights.
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Parag Khanna

Parag Khanna explores our future, providing us with a cutting-edge guide to the megatrends shaping humanity’s next decades. He dives into questions such as: where will we be living in 2050 and how will we get there?
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Addressing inequality is essential to building a sustainable food system

Sheila Senathirajah, innovations senior manager at ISEAL, discusses the importance of equality in building inclusive and fair value chains for producers.
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Active Adaptation – making progress in an uncertain world

A new report from Charities Aid Foundation and Forster Communications is urging sustainability leaders to adopt a new mindset of ‘active adaptation’ to make progress in this world of uncertainty. Building on the original ‘Bold Thinking, Brave Action’ report published in July 2020, the research highlights new enablers and inhibitors that are impacting organisational decision-making.
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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.

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