We had a great 'Investing in a Liveable Future' conference looking at whether investments and other forms of non-aid financing mechanisms can help fund development as part of creating a better future for people and planet.
Organised in partnership with Christian Aid's Salt Business Network, the invitation-only conference – full title: Investing in a Liveable Future: Investment, Faith and Development – was held on May 15. Attending were
100+ delegates from faith aligned development agencies, business networks and philanthropies
Representing more than £650 billion AUM (assets under management)
As well as projects supporting over £100 million people a year.
The international development sector spends well above US$200 billion each year, and faith-based agencies are some of the biggest NGOs working to deliver transformational change for the world’s poorest peoples.
But growing humanitarian needs, climate change, environmental crises, wars and conflicts mean the aid sector is under pressure as never before – just as tighter foreign aid budgets and greater fiscal austerity mean less funding is available.
The event discussed whether investments and non-aid financing mechanisms such as blended finance could be used, alongside philanthropy, to fund a just and sustainable future for people and planet, and it's a sign of the level of interest in this subject that most of the delegates were at the CEO or senior leadership team level.
The discussions were both inspiring and challenging, and it's clear that both sides – NGOs and business networks/investors – are keen to investigate options for working more closely together.
The current state of affairs
Before our Liveable Future conference, we surveyed 20 development agencies, most faith-aligned, on the use of non-aid financing mechanisms where – in addition to social benefits – some kind of investment return is expected.
61% are very interested and 39% are moderately interested
61% are already using them
78% think it likely or very likely that their NGO will use them in the next three years
We're bringing out a discussion paper on this subject later this year, and we are already looking at the next steps to take this further. Watch this space, and contact us if you'd like to be part of the discussions.
CONFERENCE REPORT
Check out our report on the conference by clicking below.
You can also see the programme and speakers here.