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

COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, devastating impacts on the lives, livelihoods and learning of millions of people, particularly the most vulnerable. While efforts have rightly focused on mitigating the immediate impacts, we need to start thinking about efforts to recover and rebuild, because action taken now will have long-lasting effects on people’s well-being and resilience.

The pandemic has exacerbated deep inequalities and fragilities in the current system that have always been there. We as a community have the opportunity and the responsibility to act now to build a better future.

The Business Fights Poverty Virtual Summit Series builds on the success and experience of their recent online conferences, Business Fights Poverty Online 2020 and Business Fights Poverty NYC 2020, to dig deeper into a specific issue over the course of a day.

In partnership with CDC, The 2X Challenge, UN Women and CARE International, the next Business Fights Poverty Virtual Summit on 3 December will focus on gender.

Timed to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the first of three webinars will focus on the actions companies can take in response to the increase in gender-based violence witnessed during the COVID pandemic, including in the workplace; and consider the role of new international regulation in the form of the ILO’s Violence and Harassment Convention (C190).

Hosted in partnership with UN Women, Business Fights Poverty will hold a session on strengthening women’s economic empowerment, which will give you the chance to hear the voices of women entrepreneurs and learn about how you can get involved in UN Women initiatives to support gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Europe and Central Asia.

A third webinar will focus on gender-lens investing. Despite the ever increasing business case for improved gender equality and diversity in the workplace, COVID-19 has set back progress, with widening gender pay gaps, job loss and increasing caring responsibilities for women. The case for gender-lens investing is therefore even more urgent. We will explore current thinking on the latest tools from CDC and 2X Challenge. Experts will share practical advice for investors and other businesses.

Participants will come away with fresh insights, new peer relationships and the opportunity to engage in collaborative action.