NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

VERGE Hawaii is the platform for the systems-level thinking necessary to build the clean economy in the state. Further, it’s a platform to spread lessons and ideas beyond Hawaii — increasing the resilience of other island nations and communities around the world.

Join ANDE in Washington, DC this June for two days of conversations focused on emerging practices in measurement, practical strategies for adoption, and lessons from your peers who are supporting small and growing businesses in emerging markets.

Thinkers & doers, changemakers & expert practitioners will converge by the hundreds at The Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C. on June 12, 2018. The second edition of this unique global development event, Devex World is a full day of inspiring, interactive, collaborative sessions with one focus: you.

We enter a future where new models reign. No sector, no function, no professional can afford to miss the data revolution or arrive late to innovations transforming lives at scale. This more global, dynamic, competitive ecosystem is brimming with possibility.

Devex World is not just about understanding this future. It’s about charting it for you, your organization, and the world.

What’s the value of one truly great idea? One transformative partnership? One epic story that turns your mission into a movement? Devex – the media platform for the global development community – invites you to find out at our biggest, most dynamic event. We’ve packed enormous value into a full-day opportunity. Join us.

The GSFC, held annually since 2011, is a distinctive, premier international platform for discussing innovations in financial services and business models for sustainability.

During the upcoming 2018 conference, delegates will examine financing solutions that serve the changing requirements of businesses and help in closing the funding gap for modernizing and decarbonizing the economy. The delegates will explore latest trends in increasing financial inclusion and examine sustainable financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as for large-scale projects. They will also deliberate on an integrated approach to mobilize and manage public and private investments for transforming the world for the better.

We are pleased to announce that the next Cracking the Nut conference will take place on June 12-13, 2018 in Antigua, Guatemala at the Hotel Soleil La Antigua and will focus on encouraging the uptake of new technologies for agriculture and access to finance, in a way that promotes resilience. Connexus Corporation is working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), USAID, Feed the Future, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Chemonics International to organize a two-day learning event and technology fair, which will highlight the broad range of technologies and approaches available to mitigate and adapt to global changes related to rural and agricultural development.

By bringing together some of the leading experts in sustainable agriculture from the private sector, governments, donors and development practitioners, we will identify ways to work together more efficiently and effectively to address global hunger and climate change. As always, the conference benefits from an Advisory Committee, comprised of some of the top public and private sector change agents in agribusiness and technology development, finance, and investment, who will identify interesting speakers and panelists and will oversee a competitive selection of presenters for break-out sessions.

This two-day event will bring together approximately 300 of the world’s leading industry thought leaders from private sector companies, financial institutions, investors, donors, and development practitioners to discuss “tough nuts” related to promoting agriculture technology adoption and resilience.

InterAction Forum 2018 will feature the world’s most influential and inspiring organizations, change makers, and executives from the public, private and NGO sectors. Engage with more than 1,000 fellow attendees including leadership from marquee foundations, governments, global industries, the U.N., and national civil society organizations.

Providing unparalleled networking, topical and diverse breakout sessions, and high-level general sessions, InterAction Forum 2018 represents a powerful platform on which we can forge common solutions to pressing global challenges.

Features of InterAction Forum 2018 Include:

• Reduced Registration Fee for InterAction Members
• 50+ Breakout Sessions on Hot Topics and Best Practices
• General Sessions with High-profile Speakers and Themes
• Exhibitor Showcase with the Newest Solutions and Technologies
• CEO Track and Young Professionals Summit
• Dynamic InterAction Awards Recognition Event
• Pre-Forum Workshops, Community Service Project and Documentary Night

It’s more important than ever that businesses to come together to effect positive change to deliver the SDGs and more. For the past 16 years The Responsible Business Summit has served as the world’s leading event and epicentre for CEOs and business professionals driving sustainable business strategies.

This year’s event will tackle the critical issues within responsible business. Through focussed best-practice-lead debates over 600 business leaders and senior sustainability & communications executives will focus on transforming your business so it is fit for a digital, responsible world.

The Responsible Business Summit is Europe’s leading CSR and Communications conference. It brings together the leading minds in responsible business to debate the key issues and opportunities in responsible and sustainable business.

Purpose: Participants in this course will receive an introduction to social and environmental impact analysis – that is, how to understand impact through reporting about it that has been produced by others. Various fields – including accounting, economics, evaluation, finance, environmental science, social science and social entrepreneurship – have developed methods to help understand and account for the social and environmental impact of private business, investment, non-profit, and governmental activities. This course presents a framework for skilled impact analysis that contains practices and insights distilled from these fields.

Takeaways include:

• Know what constitutes a sound analysis of impact
• Understand, interpret, and critique information on the social and environmental impact of investments, grants and enterprises
• Know what to ask for from providers of impact information

Audience: The course is designed to help those who make investments, grants or donations assess the social and environmental impact of the activities they fund through information about it that is reported to them.

Benefits: 

• Gain confidence in decisions about how to align time and money with values
• Avoid falling prey to “greenwashing”
• Reduce impact risk
• Prepare for the SVI Certificate Exam in Skilled Analysis

Length: One-day course with materials to review before and after

Trainer: This training will be delivered by Sara Olsen, Vice President of Social Value US, methodology subcommittee co-chair of Social Value International, and founder of SVT Group.

Hosts: Third Sector Capital Partners