Take action and join us in making an impact.
Developing countries face an alarming annual investment gap of USD 2.5 trillion in the key sustainable development sectors. Total investment needs in developing countries are estimated between USD 3.3 trillion to USD 4.5 trillion a year, mainly in the areas of food security, climate change mitigation and adaption, health, education and basic infrastructure. Although it almost seems impossible, bridging this gap is achievable through increased private sector investments. While global leadership and national policies will contribute to increase private investments, providing sustainable and scalable solutions is crucial to close this gap.
Today’s ideas and decisions shape our future. As BlueOrchard is always looking for new ways to create a positive impact, we have decided to initiate the BlueOrchard Impact Summit. This forward-thinking event will allow global leaders, key decision makers and academics to come together in an intimate environment to find ways to unlock the resources required to achieve the new development agenda by 2030.
This summit will focus on how investments in Inclusive Growth, Climate Change, Education and Sustainable Infrastructure can contribute to closing this gap. The event will be purely factual, non-political and non-commercial.
Downloads
Please find hereafter the links to our BlueOrchard Impact Summit White Paper and Press Release which synthesize the experience, expertise, and contributions of the summit’s speakers and attendees.
Why impact investing?
Rooted in a paradigm shift, impact investing is revolutionizing how we view investments and development by proving that profit and positive social impact can go hand in hand. As a rapidly growing asset class, impact investing taps into new sources of capital, unlocking the potential to solve today’s most difficult economic, social, and environmental issues.
Inclusive Growth – Notwithstanding considerable global efforts, inequality is still on the rise. Not only in terms of income. Inequality is present in just about every area, whether it be education, life expectancy or employment prospects. Regrettably, the life of many people is still determined by their socio-economic status, wealth, gender or environment, rather than inner potential. While income inequality between countries has been partially reducing, inequality within countries continues to increase. Since 1990, extreme poverty rates have been cut in half. Despite these tremendous achievements, 800 million people still live on less than USD 1.90 a day, most of them in small, fragile and conflict-affected countries, mainly in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. An additional estimated 2 billion individuals are classified as living in moderate poverty, being financially and socially excluded. An inclusive financial system, where all members of society have access to financial services, is essential for shared prosperity and inclusive growth. Financial inclusion fosters entrepreneurship and job creation, and gives individuals the tools to improve their livelihoods on a plethora of levels – financial security, health, education, and more. Unless the underlying inequality of opportunities is addressed, income inequality cannot be tackled effectively.
Climate Change – Among today’s most challenging issues, climate change represents a serious threat. Its effects significantly impact national economies and the lives of people and communities in every country across the globe. Damages caused today will be even worse tomorrow. Failing to adapt to climate change could erode decades of progress and cause further millions of people to fall into poverty.
Impacts of climate change include varying weather patterns, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events. The economic cost of weather related events presents a huge financial burden, especially for the world’s poorest. Low income households are the most vulnerable to these events as they have few tools to manage risk or savings to fall back on. Consequently, when faced with extreme weather fluctuations such as droughts, floods or storms, these households may be forced to resort to desperate coping strategies such as selling assets, reducing food consumption, taking children out of school or even migration.
Affordable, scalable and innovative climate solutions need to be available and accessible to help vulnerable populations cope with extreme weather events and facilitate countries the creation of cleaner and more resilient economies. Awareness is increasing and more and more people are choosing renewable energies and alike. Climate change, however, is also a global challenge that requires coordination and cooperation at an international level.
Education – Poverty and education are inextricably linked, as children and youth living in poverty cannot afford or even may stop going to school so they can work, leaving them without the literacy and numeracy skills they need to grow out of poverty. Despite the efforts made in the past, low quality and limited availability of education is still a commonplace in many emerging and frontier markets. Therefore, ensuring access to quality education is the basis to improve people’s lives and create sustainable development.
Today, more than 100 million youth still lack basic literacy skills, and of these more than 60% are women. Enrolment in primary education has increased significantly in developing countries, yet close to 60% of children are not in school and more than 50% of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. Public education sectors cannot address this need alone.
Sustainable Infrastructure – Sustainable development cannot be achieved without investments in infrastructure, such as transportation, energy and information as well as communication technology. Infrastructure is a key pillar of development, a synonym of competitiveness, economic boost, and social integration.
As populations and economies expand, demand for infrastructure increases. Today, we have the unique opportunity and tools to start building sustainable and climate smart infrastructure that are robust and resilient to deliver inclusive economic growth and reduce the risk of climate change.
Speakers
Moderators & Hosts
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Program
Program
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Registrations & Hotels
As only a limited number of places are available, we kindly ask you to register for the event as soon as possible. A fee of CHF 900 will grant you access to the whole two-day event.
In order for everyone to have a comfortable stay, we are partnering up with the three following hotels to provide our BlueOrchard Impact Summit attendees with rooms at a reduced rate. Please contact Ms. Ebony Satti to obtain the reduction code.
Grand Hotel Kronenhof Pontresina*****
Located in the heart of the idyllic village of Pontresina in the Swiss Alps, the Grand Hotel Kronenhof offers a unique mix of historic architecture, modern comfort and stunning nature, making it an unrivalled landmark. The comfortable and exclusive rooms as well as the well-equipped Spa provide a majestic view over the glaciers of the Bernina, the charming Val Roseg as well as the surrounding pine and larch forests. See website
Hotel Saratz****
Situated at the centre of the picturesque village of Pontresina, Hotel Saratz offers elegant accommodations, a 35,000 square-metre park, a luxurious wellness area, two sun terraces and various sports facilities in an elegant yet cosy atmosphere. A peaceful oasis between nature and design. See website
Hotel Walther ****
Hotel Walther in Pontresina offers its guests all the amenities necessary for a comfortable stay. This third-generation family-owned hotel offers world-class restaurants as well as spacious wellness facilities, all this in a stunningly beautiful classic Belle Époque atmosphere, at the heart of the village of Pontresina. See website
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Contact
ContactGeneral Information & Registration:
Ms. Ebony Satti
Head of Investor Relations
M: ebony.satti@blueorchard.com
T: +41 44 441 55 50
Media Inquiries:
Mrs. Tahmina Theis
Head of Communications
M: tahmina.theis@blueorchard.com
T: +41 22 596 47 69
About BlueOrchard
BlueOrchard is a leading global impact investment manager. The firm is dedicated to fostering inclusive and climate-smart growth, while providing attractive returns for investors. BlueOrchard was founded in 2001, by initiative of the United Nations, as the world’s first commercial manager of microfinance debt investments.
Today, BlueOrchard provides investors around the world with premium investment solutions, including credit, private equity, and sustainable infrastructure. Being an expert in innovative blended finance mandates, the firm is a trusted partner of leading global development finance institutions.
With a major global presence and offices on four continents, BlueOrchard has invested to date USD 5bn across 70 emerging and frontier markets, enabling tangible social impact. BlueOrchard is a licensed Swiss asset manager authorized by FINMA. Its Luxembourg entity is a licensed alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) authorized by CSSF. For additional information, please visit our website.
Copyright © 2018 BlueOrchard