The Swiss Lab for Sustainable Finance (SL4SF) invites you to the online launch of its report entitled “Sustainability and Impact Measurement and Reporting: Evidence from a Benchmarking Study”, co-authored with researchers from the Geneva Finance Research Institute, and the International Finance Corporation. The report assesses the need for impact measurement and reporting standards by benchmarking the existing quality of ESG and impact reporting of 30 non-financial firms and 30 impact investors for comprehensiveness, transparency, materiality/intentionality, and other criteria.

The World Chambers Congress brings together chamber representatives, economic actors, business leaders and policymakers from around the world to spur change through dialogue and cooperation. Organized by the International Chamber of Commerce, its World Chambers Federation and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services, the 13th edition of the Congress will take place in Geneva from 21-23 June 2023 with a central theme: Achieving peace and prosperity through multilateralism.

The event will welcome 1500+ participants and offer over 40 sessions on multilateralism, innovation, and sustainability.

 

Don’t miss our session on supply chain responsibility on June 23 from 9:20 to 9:50 AM with Patrick Odier, Gilbert Houngbo, Giuseppe Lavazza, Susanne Emonet and Jérôme Bellion-Jourdan.

 

While investing in women may seem like a feel-good activity on the surface, it is becoming increasingly clear that gender lens investing (GLI) is supported by a strong business case and can lead to greater returns. It is estimated that closing the global gap in women’s access to financial products and services could unlock $330 billion in annual revenues. In addition, gender diverse companies perform 25% better than homogenous peers. Gender lens investment strategies seek to examine gender dynamics to better and intentionally and measurably address gender disparities. These strategies already exist and are being implemented in a range of asset classes and sectors.

Join us on International Women’s Day for a webinar co-organized by Building Bridges, 2X and the Gender Lens Initiative for Switzerland. We will explore tangible examples of how GLI strategies can be applied in public and private markets, as well as wealth management.

As environmental and societal challenges are getting more complex to address, multi-stakeholder approaches ensuring the smart and efficient use of resources prove even more critical. Initially used in the development and impact investing fields, blended finance structures offer promising solutions in that regard and have progressively been adopted by traditional financial players including asset managers to derisk investments expected to address key sustainable development goals notably in the field of climate, gender, health, and peace building. The principle of such blended finance structures consists in leveraging concessional finance to mobilize market-rate financing in order to rebalance the risk-reward profiles of pioneering investments that are unable to proceed on strictly commercial terms.

In order to demystify how those structures work, AMAS and Building Bridges are excited to offer a Webinar Series on Blended Finance. Our speakers will strive to understand the following: What is blended finance? How does it work? Why are those structures relevant for asset managers in the Swiss market? Which opportunities and challenges are asset managers facing upon implementation?

WEF, House of Switzerland Davos

With the complex social changes taking place in the world today, education remains highly important. At the same time, education is the most underfunded Sustainable Development Goal. Ensuring that children and youth can develop to their full potential, not only Water is a vector for peace and sustainable development. Yet the annual funding gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is estimated to an average of USD 4 trillion. As global investors are increasingly interested in supporting impact investment, the Blue Peace Financing initiative opens up a new and innovative market in the Sustainable Finance field.

The Blue Peace Financing initiative promotes access to capital for non-sovereign entities by using water as an entry point for multi-stakeholder cooperation frameworks and transforming them into investment platforms. Investing in Blue Peace supports the achievements of the SDGs while also transforming water from a potential source of crisis into an instrument of cooperation and peace.

The issuance of the first ever Blue Peace Bond is planned for 2023. The Bond will finance the Strategic Investment Plan of the Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG) to develop infrastructure projects with a high impact on the economic empowerment of vulnerable populations as well as providing access to clean and affordable energy, safe drinking water, food security and other water-related services.

The Swiss Government in partnership with UNCDF (United Nations Capital Development Fund) invites you to the launch of the Roadshows of the first ever Blue Peace Bond and the presentation of its underlying financing structure.

For more information and registration, please contact Dimka Stantchev.

WEF, House of Switzerland Davos

With the complex social changes taking place in the world today, education remains highly important. At the same time, education is the most underfunded Sustainable Development Goal. Ensuring that children and youth can develop to their full potential, not only requires more funding, but also an acceleration of technologies, social innovation, and evidence-based impact research. In addition marginalized groups, such as children with disabilities, face more and more barriers, and interruption of education increases with crises. To reach all crisis-affected children and youth with safe, free and quality education, especially those who have been previously excluded, it is crucial to counter the threat of lost generations.

The Swiss Government, in partnership with Education Cannot Wait, the Jacobs Foundation and Zürcher Kantonalbank, invites you to discuss innovative investments in education during the World Economic Forum. The discussion will explore action-oriented and cross-sectoral collaboration between the United Nations, governments, private sector and philanthropy. Speakers will address challenges and results achieved in providing quality education to children and adolescents in South Sudan and other contexts. The event will also explore new forms of partnerships, including an innovative financing model that will allow investments from the private sector, individuals and foundations to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals while providing long-term funding for education, with the potential of becoming a blueprint for other partners and countries.

Speakers

• Awut Deng Acuil, The Hon Minister of General Education and Instruction of South Sudan
• State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda, Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
• Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait
• Donika Dimovska, Chief Knowledge Officer Jacobs Foundation
• Anja Hochberg, Head Multi-Asset Solutions Zürcher Kantonalbank
• Patricia Danzi, Director General Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
• Moderated by Christian Frutiger, Assistant Director General and Head of Thematic Cooperation Division SDC

For more information and registration, please contact Ms Susanna Graf.

Finance is a powerful tool that can support the transition towards a more sustainable and inclusive economic model. In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, we need global and coordinated solutions. To mobilize stronger climate action, we are pleased to invite you to an exclusive conversation with Mahmoud Mohieldin, COP27 UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt on Tuesday 18 October 2022 at 12:00 PM at the Palais Anna et Jean-Gabriel Eynard (Rue de la Croix-Rouge 4, 1204 Genève). Join us for this unique opportunity to learn more about his work a few weeks before the beginning of COP27 and explore how finance can mitigate climate risks. The discussion will be followed by a cocktail offered by the City of Geneva.

Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin is an economist with more than 30 years of experience in international finance and development. He is an Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund and has been the United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda since February 2020.

The role of High-Level Champion was created at COP21 to help governments lower carbon emissions and build resilience to climate change. COP Champions connect the work of governments with the voluntary and collaborative actions taken by cities, regions, businesses, investors and civil society.

We look forward to welcoming you at the Palais Eynard on Tuesday for a rich conversation with the COP27 Champion for Egypt.

Meet a sample of investment-ready Zambian SMEs (including from ITC’s FastTrackTech programme) who have been rigorously selected to pitch at The Village. This offers an opportunity to meet these SMEs while helping Prospero improve its understanding of how Swiss Investors could deploy their impact capital into Zambian (tech) impact enterprises.

Check out their pitch at the Village stage during the afternoon coffee break.

Meet the Geneva Foundation for Technology Innovation (Fongit) supporting technology startups in the canton of Geneva. In 2021 the Fongit Innovation Fund (FIF), a mechanism that provides up to 400 000 CHF in loans or convertibles to technology startups with an SDG impact was launched.

Check out their pitch at the Village during lunch.