In collaboration with the Geneva Graduate Institute’s Centre for Finance and Development, this event focuses on the potential of innovative finance as a “transformative tool” which aligns with the need for creative and impactful solutions to address pressing global challenges. The event will showcase real-world testimonials on how leveraging innovative finance can strengthen the resilience of health systems, climate and ecosystems, and social inclusion. The high-level plenary will demonstrate how tailored financial mechanisms have led to positive outcomes such as building robust infrastructure, funding climate adaptation projects, and supporting marginalized communities. Innovate finance has successfully deployed mechanisms and structured financial instruments to catalyse private investments; bridging investment gaps from the private sector to impact positive change as well has facilitated partnerships between governments, private sector entities, and civil society organizations to drive sustainable development projects.

At the heart of the discussion is the recognition that our future belongs to strong bridge building as we can no longer afford a fractured world as polarization is increasing resulting in our planet and our people falling behind. With a dramatic course correction, we can steer a bright future by harnessing our enormous opportunities and our limitless potential.

The ingredients of success are available to drive positive change if technology, science, and finance are properly leveraged. It is time to rethink the way we tackle our pressing challenges and to reassess our decision-making to focus on swift action with stronger partnerships that foster cooperation. Bridge builders who are bold and courageous are needed to tackle the challenges of our time and work together from all sectors of society to create a more inclusive society with sustainable living. This will not be easy and requires partnership humility which allow for open-mindedness and bold leadership which drives positive impact and systemic change.

This plenary will examine how asset owners need to anchor sustainable and climate-friendly investment strategies to achieve the necessary long-term returns and by taking an active role in the companies they own to steer sectors toward a lower-carbon transition. Yet asset owners need to align their underlying investments with values and preferences of their beneficiaries and finding the right balance between social and environmental responsibility and fiduciary duty to maximize returns on behalf of beneficiaries has its hurdles, challenges and, of course, rewards and opportunities.

Scaling climate finance must reach the trillion mark and flow notably to the Global South which needs the capital the most to transition as they trail far behind. Climate investments must deliver superior returns and align with investor risk appetites, in other words, opportunities that are better than business as usual as institutional investors are not going to subsidize net zero. Institutional investors are attracted to large and scalable projects, so tackling the scalability issue is key to enable trillions of climate capital to flow. Large scale investments will flow more readily to areas where: governments implement supportive policies, regulatory frameworks and tax incentives are intact, innovation and technology unlock new opportunities, reliable and timely data is available, transparency inspires investor confidence and, finally, where risk is mitigated via legal recourse.

The Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) will launch on September 18th in the US and at this Building Bridges plenary in Europe. The launch has the potential to shift finance to better align with the nature on which it relies. The vital importance of nature and biodiversity in achieving climate goals means regulatory frameworks worldwide are evolving swiftly to integrate them into practices. Investor interest in biodiversity has been steadily gaining momentum, driven by the recognition that the need to address biodiversity is closely tied to achieving the net-zero carbon goals. Further, investors are becoming aware that degradation and loss of nature can have far reaching consequences, including disruptions to supply chains, increased business risks, and reputational damage.

Join us on September 6 for a meaningful morning exchange that will explore how sustainable finance can help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals! This event co-hosted in collaboration with the Impact for Breakfast Club will present ways to advance responsible investing at the global level, and address some of the latest trends and tools in the field.

This breakfast session will offer a sneak peak of the 2023 edition of Building Bridges that will highlight the initiatives, organizations, tools and frameworks that are shaping the global sustainable finance agenda. Meet us at the Impact Hub in Geneva to learn more about the work of NatureFinance, AMAS, Sustainable Finance Geneva and the SDG Impact Finance Initiative.

This event is co-organized by the Impact for Breakfast Club, an informal network of family offices, foundations, funds, venture philanthropy and intermediary organizations that have been gathering since 2008 in multiple cities to better navigate and understand the space between financial and social return.

Venue:

Impact Hub Geneva, Rue Fendt 1, 1201 Genève

Registration:

Please send an email to Deborah Keller to register for the event.

Engaging startups offers philanthropic institutions a powerful avenue to address global challenges effectively. Startups’ agility and innovation enable rapid development and scaling of inventive solutions. This collaboration taps into fresh perspectives and advanced technologies, disrupting traditional approaches. Can global impact be accelerated through collaborative philanthropy and startup engagement?

This panel will explore the synergy between entrepreneurship and economic development in emerging markets, focusing on how official development assistance and private capital can ignite innovation and prosperity. The discussion will tackle critical challenges, such as proving the long-term impact of interventions, moving towards outcome-based partnerships, linking financial rewards to positive social and economic results, sustaining the entrepreneurial ecosystem with innovative financial products, and enhancing collaboration among stakeholders. The aim is to identify cutting-edge solutions that can reinvent the development sector, emphasizing outcomes and impacts rather than mere deliverables.

This panel brings together pioneers in the international development space that explore new methods and best practices of supporting innovation ecosystems through a systems thinking approach. We will discuss the shift away from traditional interventions by funders and capacity builders that focus on isolated problems, and move towards a more comprehensive approach that takes into account the movement of talent, information and resources as well as the interactions and collaboration between different ecosystem actors.

Join us for a discussion on the crossroads of development stakeholders and government actions in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship. Our panelists will share their point of views on projects, policies, and partnerships that shape the startup landscape, sparking the key question: Can these collaborations genuinely drive prosperity in a sustainable and inclusive way?