WBCSD-SNV Alliance: Creating inclusive business opportunities by linking local communities with big business

Exploring the links between international businesses and socio-economic development – A case study of Unilever Vietnam

How can corporate investment drive growth, help accelerate social and economic development, and improve livelihoods in a country? Following an analysis of its economic footprint in Indonesia and South Africa, Unilever has published a third study, conducted by a Vietnamese think-tank.

Business perspectives and impacts on the Millennium Development Goals

Matthew Lynch, Program Manager of the WBCSD’s Development Focus Area, was recently the keynote speaker at a high-profile event in Amsterdam examining the role of business in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The event was organized by the National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development (NCDO) and hosted by ING.

Impact measurement as a driver for improved business performance and greater development impact

There is widespread consensus that we need to know much more about how different business models deliver improved development impact. Understanding that impact, and in so doing getting a better idea of how to invest and target resources most effectively, is increasingly important for businesses and for development agencies that are investing donor resources in enhancing the role of the private sector.

Given the potential cost and complexity of undertaking impact assessments, a key consideration in strengthening the business case for doing more in this important area is ensuring we become better at translating impact measurement results in to continuous business performance improvements that deliver greater development impacts.

2010 event series on inclusive business

How can we best design inclusive business models? How can we best measure their impact? Business Action for Africa, the UK’s Department for International Development, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government are planning to host a series of events across 2010 around these questions, aiming to continue to deepen the understanding of how the private sector can best harness core business practices to achieve the greatest potential impact on development and poverty reduction.

Charting a course to realize the full potential of impact investing

More than 150 representatives from governments, investment firms, foundations, corporations, international financial institutions and NGOs attended the Royal Netherlands Embassy and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation’s Global Forum on Impact Investing in late February in Washington, D.C. The Impact Investing Forum was co-organized with the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the Rockefeller Foundation and the Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF).

Understanding the business contribution to development: Oxfam Poverty Footprint

Companies around the world are increasingly concerned about the impacts that their businesses have on societies in their home countries as well as abroad. For many companies operating in developing countries, impacts on society are related to the effects of their operations on development and poverty reduction, and in turn play an important role in determining the success of the business itself. Understanding the links between business and development can highlight real opportunities for enlightened businesses to make a positive difference.

In a recent paper (pdf, 14 pages), Oxfam set out to explain its Poverty Footprint Methodology, which helps companies to comprehensively understand how their operations affect the people in their value chains and the communities and countries where they operate. The methodology combines local assessments of livelihood impacts, value chain analysis, and an assessment of economic contributions into one comprehensive approach.