Economic Development

Economic Development Strategies to Combat Global Poverty

Upcoming Online Event: Nature and Its Value to International Supply Chains

As part of Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020, Business Fights Poverty and Standard Chartered are convening a webinar and online peer discussion to explore how we can account for, invest in and enhance the value of nature present in supply chains. This article delves into nature’s benefits to international supply chains, and examines one initiative that is seeking to align commercial and environmental imperatives: the ‘Soft Commodities Compact’. 
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Upcoming Online Event: Business Donor Partnerships for System-Level Impact

As part of Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020, Bayer, Mastercard, The European Commission, The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Unilever, USAID and The Partnering Initiative are sharing their insights during the webinar and online peer discussion to explore the Business Donor Partnerships for System-Level Impact.
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Upcoming Online Event: Hygiene and Behaviour Change: Business Coalitions to Fight COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented coalitions by all sectors of society to protect the lives, livelihoods and learning of the world’s most vulnerable people.As part of Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020, Business Fights Poverty and Unilever are convening a webinar and online peer discussion to explore how business coalitions can help in the fight against COVID-19.
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Join us to participate in the largest ever global conversation on building the future we want

On 21 September 2020 the UNGA High Level Meetings will open in New York. But, for the first time in its 75 year history the events will be held almost entirely online. Our founder Zahid Torres-Rahman outlines how you can be part of the biggest ever global conversation on the future we want. Join us to #RebuildBetter
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What are the innovations that could shape and transform the next decade?

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has released an issue brief outlining the business model shifts, emerging technologies and social innovations that could shape the next decade. The report is designed to help us think about the innovations that we can leverage in service of the SDGs, and those that we need to work harder to bring about.
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Alexis Geaneotes and Kathy Mignano

During this podcast we hear Alexis Geaneotes and Kathy Mignano from IFC share the latest thinking on inclusive business.
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Supporting Women’s Wellbeing through Flexible, Digital Earning Opportunities

The WTO has recently predicted that the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic will be disproportionately felt by women, with a ‘pink collar recession’ threatening to roll back the gender equality gains of recent decades.  In the UK, there are indications that women are bearing the brunt of redundancies, mothers are more likely than fathers to have been furloughed, and women have done the greater share of domestic and caring work during lockdown.
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Going above and beyond to support women entrepreneurs

As has been observed in the Business Fights Poverty community, the coronavirus pandemic poses a specific set of threats to women. Whether in the UK or Uganda, there’s growing evidence that the pressures of lockdown and the associated economic downturn will lead to a regression in women’s rights and gender equality.
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Resetting the Agenda: Using partnerships as a step to more impactful change in a better, post pandemic world

The coronavirus has exposed just how fragile our lives are. Over the past decade, even though there have been increasing calls for a change to global economic and political systems, those voices remained on the periphery. However, as the pandemic unravels these systems ever more rapidly, calls for systemic change have shifted from the margins to the mainstream.
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Reinforcing the ‘S’ in ESG during COVID-19: reflections from our investees

As businesses worldwide grapple with the effect of nationwide lockdowns, it’s clear that COVID-19 has provided an opportunity to reflect on responsible investing and business practices in the private sector.
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Study on the Economic Impact of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa Demonstrates High Loss of Income and Usage of Digital Loans

A new study on the economic impact of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa demonstrates high loss of income and uncertainty around future employment, especially among informal workers. Loans are also in heavy use, which presents an opportunity for the private sector to assist through more favorable lending programs. 
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Evaluation gaps, challenges and implications: Responsible business initiatives for sustainable supply chains?

Evidence on voluntary sustainability standards effectiveness and impact is strengthening, but little evidence exists on the efficacy of growing numbers of Responsible Business Initiatives (RBIs) which focus on entire corporate sustainability. Some are mature (e.g. corporate codes), others are more recent (e.g. sectoral multi-stakeholder initiatives, supplier capacity strengthening approaches, benchmarking initiatives, mobilizing investors). But quality evidence and rigorous synthesis is generally very thin across the board.
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The Cost of Cash to Ghana’s Cocoa Sector

Ghana is among the world’s leaders in the use of mobile money, but shockingly, the cocoa sector still pays upwards of 7 billion cedis (US$1.2 billion) every year in cash and checks to purchasing clerks, who then transfer it to farmers in cash. This means over 90% of the farmer transactions are still made in cash. Our organizations have released today new analysis showing that the costs and risk of cash to the cocoa sector are valued at more than $20 million every year, or more than 20% of turnover for all LBCs.
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Technology and Partnerships: Force Multipliers for an Inclusive Economic Recovery

Five tips for how social sector organizations can use technology to help combat COVID-19’s economic impact
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Inclusive digital payments solutions for the garment sector workers in Bangladesh

In March, when we announced the taka 5000 crore stimulus package (about $600 million) to pay workers’ salaries in export-oriented sectors, particularly ready-made garments which account for over 80% of the country’s exports, we encountered a major roadblock. Only 1.5 million of the 4 million workers were paid digitally. The rest were paid in cash.
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How to Safeguard the Livelihoods of Women Farmers and Entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Among its many impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to reverse recent gains to women’s economic empowerment. This article by TechnoServe Gender Director Cristina Manfre presents a strategy to ensure that the global community’s response to the pandemic safeguards against the risks to women’s livelihoods and enables them to help lead the economic recovery.
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Youth Perspectives on Our Future Economy

As part of Business Fights Poverty Online 2020, we teamed up with youth from around the world from the Economy of Francesco to organise a co-creative session dedicated to imagining and evaluating future economic models and to begin to co-create our future together.
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SEMINAR: An introduction to cross-sector collaboration and public-private partnerships

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VIDEO: How do I partner with NGOs, government and others to deliver both business and development goals?

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Darian Stibbe

If you want to find a partner, there is no better person than Darian Stibbe. Partnering for a sustainable future that is. Darian was once a quantum physicist for NASA, with a PhD from London and Harvard. 16 years ago, his career pivoted, and he hasn’t looked back.
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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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