Collaboration is a key factor for the success of market-based solutions for low-cost housing. Governments, the building sector, and inclusive financial institutions all have a role in creating solutions that work for and with populations in need of viable housing. Not only is the issue of basic shelter of tantamount importance in an ever increasingly urban world, but the follow-on effects of poor or no housing take their toll on the health, safety, and economic freedom of millions. Identifying the right partners and defining each role needs to take into consideration the model being used. What is the scope of involvement for government, large scale builders and microfinance institutions? Should do-it-yourself, community builders or industrial scale approaches be supported? Should we wait for low interest concessionary capital or proceed incrementally with higher cost microfinance? What is the appropriate role of technology vs. the noble materials (i.e., stone, brick, cement)? What are the resilient business models that succeed today? Panel participants will join from government, finance and the building sector to discuss model solutions from Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and India/Pakistan.

Moderator:
James Magowan – Managing Director and Impact Investments Team, Security Research Associates

• William Britt Gwinner – Program Manager, Housing Finance, IFC Sub-Saharan Africa
• Daniel Wiener – Chairman, GEB Foundation

Share this:

Impact investment is a young sector, still seeking exact definitions, building a vibrant, varied community, and formulating its future direction. What will it take to grow impact investing from the niche sector it is today to a mainstream investment strategy? Is it even possible to do this without diluting the social missions inherent in the enterprises and initiatives that impact investment practitioners seek to finance? Can the variety of models currently in place work in tandem towards the same goal to continue the momentum of the past decade? Our expert panel will discuss the key instruments, infrastructure, and involvement that is essential to bring impact investment to scale. Panelists bring diverse persepectives to the discussion and will explore the different roles that dedicated funds, metrics development, individual and institutional investors, and specific business model approaches currently play within the space, and how each needs to develop and collaborate in order to maximize the impact potential of the impact investing movement as a whole.

• Jed Emerson – Chief Impact Strategist, ImpactAssets
• Serena Guarnaschelli – Partner, Dalberg Consulting
• Karen Hitschke – Director and Fund Manager, Yunus Social Business
• Luther Ragin – CEO, GIIN

Share this:

Moderator:
Cornelius Pietzner – Managing Director, Alterra Impact Finance

• Hans Rudolf Herren – Founder, Biovision
• Patrick Holden – CEO, Sustainable Food Trust
• Sylvie Lemmet – Director, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), UNEP

Share this:

Many would say that development finance institutions (DFIs) have been doing impact investment for years. And with millions, if not billions, to achieve their goals, DFIs have the kind of clout that most impact investors can only dream of. But several DFIs have been looking towards the growing promise of impact investment as a new way to achieve their goals. What are the impact investment principles that appeal to these influential financial players and how can they be applied in the context of development work? Are there specific financial tools or business models that are currently being adapted for use on the large scale within which DFIs usually operate? How can the adoption of impact investment models, methods and metrics allow DFIs to increase their impact and perhaps more importantly, help boost impact investment as a viable investment practice? A panel of global DFI leaders will address these questions and explore current initiatives in a discussion of how DFIs see impact investment as a key tool in their workbox.

Moderator:
Patricia Dinneen – Managing Director, Siguler Guff

• Claude Barras – CEO, Obviam
• Elizabeth Littlefield – President and CEO, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
• Hans Schulz – Acting VP for Private Sector and Non-Sovereign Guaranteed Operations, Inter-American Development Bank
• Peter Tropper – Chief Investment Officer, Private Equity Group, IFC

Share this:

Availability of affordable, safe water has implications for everything from community health and gender equality to income and socio-political dynamics. Clean water sources are increasingly being stressed by escalating demands, pollution, and climate change. Sustainable water management practices, natural infrastructure, innovative technologies and financing models, and locally appropriate solutions are needed now more than ever. What are some examples of proven innovations and collaborations? Can these be adapted and scaled? How can different constituencies work together to improve protection of and access to clean water?

Moderator:
Belinda Fleischmann – Founder, ZYNYA Consulting

Share this:

Moderator:
David Green – Social Entrepreneur, Oxford Lotus Health Fund

• Marie Charles – Founder, Tiger Healthcare Private Equity
• Raj Panjabi – Executive Director, Tiyatien Health; Associate Physician, Harvard Medical School

Share this: