We’ve selected five articles from the Negocios Sostenibles (Sustainable Business) blog to form a picture of the innovation and challenges that took place this past year. Together, they provide a general viewpoint for 2020 as we begin the year ahead.
Why is additionality key for private sector development finance?
To meet the ambitious targets laid out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is necessary to accelerate collective action, coordination, and resource mobilization across the public and private sectors. Public sector resources alone are not sufficient to bring development finance from the “billions to trillions” required to achieve the SDGs.
By Susan Olsen, Lead Specialist, Opportunities for the Majority, IDB
Difficulty accessing financing, poor infrastructure and incapacity to scale are cited as reasons why businesses that target the (BOP) fail. Yet, an unwillingness to overcome base of the pyramid stereotypes could easily be the most important explanation as to why some BoP-focused companies aren’t successful. Shattering stereotypes before starting an inclusive business model was the basis for a provocative panel that took place during the Inter-American Development Bank’s BASE III Forum in Mexico City.
How to celebrate Earth Day? Five ways to go about it.
“Why should I care about future generations? What have they ever done for me?” American comedian Julius “Groucho” Marx once joked. Fortunately, there is Earth Day. It offers an opportunity to reflect on that very question. Today marks the 45th anniversary of the conception of the modern environmental movement. And by celebrating Earth Day in companies, schools and households, we can raise awareness and explore why we might want to care about future generations.
Towards a new generation of public-private partnerships for Infrastructure
Latin America and the Caribbean is crying out for infrastructure improvements. An investment estimated at 5 percent of the region’s GDP—or $250 billion per year—is required to develop projects that are fundamental for economic development, not only by improving highways and bridges, but also by building hospitals and creating mobility solutions for smarter cities. Every other business sees a lack of infrastructure as a serious problem for the region.