Business' Role in Achieving the SDGs: Events Not to Miss in September

If there’s one silver lining from this past year and a half of tumultuous change, it’s been the growth of the social enterprise movement. Social enterprises have continued to rise to meet the complex challenges of inequality, climate change, equitable access to healthcare, and more - while remaining agile enough to respond faster than governments or nonprofits could. We believe that social enterprises are key to a more just, sustainable, and equitable global economy, and at MovingWorlds we’re committed to pouring resources into our communities, social entrepreneurs, and partnerships to help the movement do even more. 

And we’re not alone – governments, corporations, and even the World Economic Forum are making major bets on the social enterprise movement, and investing accordingly. This month, there are a number of events that we’re eagerly anticipating to deepen the conversation around the role of business in a more sustainable and equitable future. 

Learn more about each event below, and be sure to mark your calendar to be part of these inspiring conversations!

Uniting Business LIVE

The 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) opens on September 14th, and will cover a range of issues from COVID-19 to racism, climate change, and inequality. You can check out this year’s full agenda here.

In particular, we’ll be keeping an eye on Uniting Business LIVE - the voice of business at the UNGA - which will be happening September 20-22. Uniting Business LIVE connects the high-level multi stakeholder dialogues of the Private Sector Forum, the grounded local knowledge and implementation strategies in the Global Impact Forum, and partnership and leadership examples of the SDG Business Forum into one inclusive, impactful and innovative global event.

The event will bring together forward-thinking Chief Executives, Heads of State and Government, corporate sustainability experts and business leaders, plus heads of UN agencies and civil society organizations to take stock of the state of the world, address gaps in progress, drive business ambition on the SDGs and highlight cooperative and actionable solutions that are ready — today.

Register here to join Uniting Business LIVE for three days of inspiration, connection and meaningful takeaways about how business leaders can transform business models and economies to become more just, sustainable, and equitable.

SOCAP Spectrum Event: The Color of Money

Changing times call for a change in how we collectively build, innovate and transform our society. This year, we’re excited to see that SOCAP SPECTRUM has introduced year-round offerings that focus on justice, equity and action. 

To create more touch points for the community to connect and learn together, this year SPECTRUM will be hosting multiple half and full-day events, rather than a single conference. 

On September 22nd, SPECTRUM will be hosting “The Color of Money,” a half-day event on the importance of finance and race. The event will include a range of conversations focused on critical topics like the need to diversify fund managers, a call for more investment in Black and Brown entrepreneurs, and closing the wealth gap. Register here to be part of the conversation!

ANDE Annual Conference

From September 28th-30th, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) will be hosting its annual conference. The agenda is full of highly relevant topics that overlap significantly with our latest guides on the state of impact investing and impact measurement, including:

• The role of SGBs and Impact Investing in sustainable economic recovery

• Quantifying return on investment for social inclusion in developing economies

• Co-creation of gender smart accelerators that meet a diverse range of Founder’s needs

• Moving from competitive to collaborative value chains

• Making impact measurement frictionless for social enterprises

This is an excellent opportunity to learn from some of the preeminent leaders in this space, including this year’s Keynote Speaker, Damilola Ogunbiyi. As CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, Damilola is a global leader and advocate for access to reliable, affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change. Register here.

Social Enterprise World Forum

The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is hosting its flagship annual forum for the global social enterprise community from September 28-29th. Register here for SEWF 2021 to connect with thousands of leading social entrepreneurs, access world-class content and be part of the world’s largest social enterprise conversation.

Priority themes and topics include climate and circular economy, youth, rural, Indigenous-led social enterprise, gender, social procurement, COVID-19 and economic recovery. Designed by and for social enterprises, SEWF 2021 will champion the potential of social enterprises – small and large, rural and urban – to bring about inclusive and sustainable economic development. 

We regularly report on the latest themes, developments, and new initiatives happening in social impact, so be sure to subscribe so that you never miss an update.