International coalition to promote social enterprise and impact investment for sustainable development across Asia and
the Pacific
Christchurch, New Zealand (ESCAP News) -- Leading global and regional organisations have announced their support for an ambitious multi-stakeholder initiative to
promote the growth of social enterprise and impact investment across the Asia-Pacific region as a means of accelerating
progress of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Senior government officials from 17 countries as well as key private sector figures at the Social Enterprise World Forum
meeting in Christchurch acknowledged that social enterprises and impact investment were critical drivers of innovation
for sustainable development that can play a catalytic role in advancing inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared
prosperity and decent work for all.
At the end of a policy dialogue, jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (ESCAP) and the British Council, Hon. Y.B. Dato' Sri Hajah Nancy Binti Shukri, Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Office, Malaysia, read the Asia-Pacific Declaration on Social Enterprise and Impact Investment. The declaration would
see a partnership between ESCAP, the British Council, the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF), the Global Steering
Group for Impact Investment, the Global Social Entrepreneurship Network, the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, and the
Ākina Foundation, to build a community of leaders across the Asia-Pacific with the aim of sharing experience and pooling
expertise around the growth of social enterprise and impact investment in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
“The ambition of social enterprise and impact investment to create economic, social and environmental value aligns to
the three-dimensional nature of the SDGs. This multi-stakeholder coalition brings together leading expertise, both
regional and global, to support governments to catalyze the innovations urgently required to meet the ambitions of the
global development agenda,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr. Shamshad
Akhtar.
“The Social Enterprise World Forum was established in 2008 for the purpose of convening social enterprises from all over
the world to share wisdom, build networks and discuss how to create a more sustainable future. This new regional
initiative complements our global mission to build a supportive public policy environment and disseminate transferrable
strategies, systems and models to support the development of social enterprise and help build healthy communities and
vibrant local economies across Asia and the Pacific,” said David LePage, Chairman of the SEWF C.I.C Board.
Mark Walker, Director East Asia, British Council, said: “Our Global Social Enterprise programme is premised on sharing
experience and expertise in social enterprise and impact investment between the UK and other countries. This coalition
presents us with an invaluable opportunity to further support policy makers and other stakeholders to create the
conditions in which social enterprise and impact investment can thrive, thus helping to promote innovative solutions to
entrenched social and environmental problems and advancing our shared vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and
prosperous future.”
The Declaration invokes SDG 17, which states that “a successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships
between governments, the private sector and civil society”, and it highlights “the role that social enterprise and
impact investment can play in supporting progress on the goals and targets of the SDGs, notably by developing impactful
and innovative solutions to entrenched social and environmental problems and spurring sustainable and inclusive
development.”
ENDS