Today at Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020 we discussed how to help people survive and thrive.
A fireside chat between Katie Hyson, our Director of Thought Leadership, and Roger Martin, Professor Emeritus at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto , gave insights into the problems of growing economic inequality, why so many people are being left behind, and how individuals and companies can take positive actions to change this reality. As Roger remarked: “everybody can in their own way be thinking about how to make the lives of the families in their neighborhood better, or their children’s school better. And if everybody just did that, I think we would make enormous progress on the SDGs.”
Our first panel discussion, hosted with the National Business Compact on Coronavirus, Kenya, discussed the actions the country has taken to deal with the health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Participants described how they have come together to share healthcare information with communities, install washing stations across the country, and distribute donations to help the most vulnerable through the most acute phases of the crisis. They also emphasised that such initiatives would not have been possible without the formation of a national coalition involving governments, companies, civil society, and international organisations. For the challenges ahead, in the words of Myriam Sidibé, Founder, Brands of a Mission, and Chair and Co-Founder, National Business Compact on Coronavirus, Kenya: “we must move towards sustaining and creating an environment where school children will never have to go back to a school that has no running water, soap, and hand washing facilities.”
The following webinar, hosted with Walmart, focused on the challenges related to the future of work and why building inclusive opportunities is crucial for us to rebuild better from COVID-19. Targeted efforts are needed to ensure upward mobility for these most vulnerable workers, capitalising on rapid technological change, while putting people at the heart of the business models of the future. As Susan Muigai, SVP International People of Walmart International, put it: “our people are building their digital skills and we are ensuring that they have access to the technology that they need to serve our customers and to grow their own career, whether they choose to stay in retail or take their skills to a different field. We want people to be better off for having worked with us.”
If you were unable to join us for these important and insightful sessions, you can access all of the recordings and summaries with a Digital Pass . In the meantime, you can also watch all the opening sessions and musical performances so far via the links on the event page ( register here for free access).
HOW TO VIDEOS
Register for free to visit the learning section of our event page for more amazing content, including a series of “how-to” videos created by our community. Today, we launched two new how-two videos:
- Maggie De Pree, Co-Founder of the League of Intrapreneurs, gives advice on how to cultivate intrapreneurship in your business .
- Hannah Temple, Director of Consulting at TwentyFifty, explains how companies can integrate human rights into business strategies .
JOIN US TOMORROW
Join us for our fourth day during which we will deep-dive into “Building Resilient Livelihoods”. How can businesses best play a role to address the poverty affecting millions of people who work in global supply chains? We’ll also explore the important connection between the environment and livelihoods.
You can see the full agenda here . Tomorrow’s sessions include:
- A fireside chat on resilience with John Blood, Chief of Legal and Corporate Affairs of AB InBev.
- A webinar about tackling poverty in global value chains, hosted with Mars.
- A webinar on nature and its value to international supply chains, hosted with Standard Chartered.
- How to videos on having a positive relationship with nature and enhancing social justice in global supply chains.
Once again, there will be opportunities for informal conversation and networking with peers throughout the day.
We hope you will join us for a great day of connection, conversation and collaboration at Business Fights Poverty NYC Online 2020.
