The Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) - comprising of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar - has become a hotspot for investment over the years. A recent report from the Milken Institute has uncovered not only the opportunities for investment, but also key actions that the GCC needs to take to make investment opportunities stronger both for governments and investors, leading to greater impact. We sit down with Dr Claude Lopez - Head of Research at the Milken Institute - to discuss more about the GCC, investment, and opportunities for greater social impact.
Episode 49: Can we really measure impact?
Measuring impact has been the challenge for many social enterprises and NGOs when it comes to truly assess the real benefit of their work. But why is it a challenge? And why is it also such low priority for many organisations? We explore further the challenge and the reason why this overlooked aspect is more important than ever.
Episode 47: Turkey in Somalia - a sustainable investment?
Since 2011, Turkey has been heavily investing in the war-torn state of Somalia - from humanitarian aid to investing in local infrastructure. With slow progress in stability returning to the country and the recent awarding of potential oil field discovery off the coast of Mogadishu to Turkey, has Erdogan's investment and risk taking in Somalia paid off finally for Ankara? And more importantly, what can this mean for businesses and sustainable development in the African horn? On this episode we go over Turkey's involvement and the potential this brings to the country.
Episode 42: Lebanese protests - the result of lack of investment
Lebanon has seen a slew of protests in early October since the government decided to inject a tax on WhatsApp services in the country, proving to be the straw that broke the camel's back. But the protests in the street are the symptom of long-term neglect from the Lebanese government to its people. On this episode, we uncover how this occurred and make the case for the need for government to invest in citizens.
Episode 41: A Year in Review
On this episode, we review Episode 8 in which we predicted the top five topics for 2019 in diplomacy and international development. Were we right? Were we wrong? The foredooming episodes will invite key experts where we look at the year and see how it went.
Episode 31: Frontier Markets - the sustainable frontier for impact investors?
With all the hype on emerging markets, we forget there is one additional realm which very few impact investors have considered until now - frontier markets. On this episode, we speak with Gavin Serkin of New Markets Media and Intelligence to discuss what they are, why impact investors should be considering them and why they matter for a sustainable future.
Episode 27: Spotlight on the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has witnessed unprecedented growth and an economic boom since the mid-2000's, rendering this island nation as the top receiver of FDI in Latin America and the fastest growing economy in the region. But apart from business and trade opportunities, what lies for sustainable development? While it is an emerging economy, it is still a developing one. So what are they key gaps present and what can be done for greater social impact? We explore more on today's episode.
Episode 23: Spotlight on Indonesia
On 17 April 2019, Indonesians went to the polls and voted in current President Joko Widodo (commonly called Jokowi) back into office for a second term. But with underachieving on certain developmental promises and a sudden alliance with the more conservative right wing, what political implications will this have for both development and sustainability for the country in the coming years? We provide the overview and analysis on this episode.
Episode 21: Political will - what it is and why it matters
Political will is the most used term in global affairs, business and in the NGO sector. But what is it really? Interestingly enough, we do and we don't know much about it. On this episode, we take the time to discuss what is this concept and why it is so crucial for your business, development program or investment if you want to see if grow and become more sustainable.
Episode 16: The benefits of investing in conflict. Conversations with Sami Hamdi
Impact investing has been the buzzword as of late in global philanthropy and with the International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC) having launched 'humanitarian investment bonds' (HIB) back in 2017, it leaves one to wonder if investing in conflict is a good choice? Discussing the benefits of investment during conflict, we sit down with Sami Hamdi, Editor and Chief of The International Interest to uncover not only the advantages to the investor, but the potential to foster sustainable peace and economic empowerment.
Episode 13: What is Impact Investment?
According to the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, there are estimates that in 2018, US $12 trillion was invested in socially responsible investment funds. Impact investing is a rapidly growing industry with a huge potential to bring sustainable social impact. But what is it? In this episode, we dive in to what it is, how it works and how it can help both emerging and developing economies.
Episode 12: Life After Economic Sanctions
For years, the preferred method of US Foreign Policy against states deemed dangerous were economic sanctions. From Sudan to Iran, sanctions have proved to be more harmful to the people on the ground than the government. But with sanctions lifted from Sudan in 2017 and the EU rigorously trying for the sake of their businesses to bypass re-emerging sanctions from the USA against Iran, what are the opportunities that lay for NGOs, impact investors and businesses when the curtains of sanctions are lifted? And what is the political will present for them? Our Director and Host Gesu Antonio Baez dives into the question to find out more.
Episode 6: Can we invest during conflict?
Image by AFP/Getty Images
In September 2017, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched the new endeavour entitled “Humanitarian Impact Bonds” (HIBS) with the intention to sanction money from the private sector towards development in conflict zones. But can this be of benefit? How does it work and if it does work, how do we spread the word? We discuss more about the potential for HIBs in today’s episode.
