Impact Investing Extends to Every Corner of the Globe
15 October 2018 at 4:51 pm
The impact investing movement is taking root in all edges of the globe, with new advisory boards set up in Bangladesh, New Zealand and South Africa to promote the practice in new regions.
The three countries were the latest to join a global network of 21 existing countries, established by the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG), in response to the G8 Social Investment Task Force.
The national and regional advisory boards now represents 3 billion people across the world.
Sir Ronald Cohen, founder and chair of the GSG, said the expansion to Bangladesh, New Zealand and South Africa reflected the growing momentum of the impact investing movement.
“It underscores that the pivot to risk, return, and impact is spreading to all corners of our world,” Cohen said.
The chairs of the three boards, Kazi Shofiqul Azam (Bangladesh), David Woods (New Zealand), and Elias Masilela (South Africa), were admitted to the network at the annual Impact Summit held in early October in Delhi.
Chair of the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing, and one of the founding GSG members, Rosemary Addis, told Pro Bono News the growing number of boards globally meant more resources to drive solutions.
“Impact is on the agenda, and we can see the path to over US$30 trillion globally being invested for impact by 2030, making a significant contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Addis said.
The board also approved sites for its next two Impact Summits, which will be held in Santiago in 2019, and Johannesburg in 2020.
Chair of the Chilean board, Angelica Zegers, said they were looking forward to bringing the Impact Summit to Latin America for the first time.
“With all of the energy and momentum for investing for measurable social and environmental impact across the continent, we look forward to hosting the world for an engaging and exciting event,” Zegers said.
