WASHINGTON – 23 SEPTEMBER— P4G, the Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 Initiative, selected The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series, a partnership-driven project addressing SDG 2: Zero Hunger, as the 2019 P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year. The winner was announced at the P4G Awards Luncheon, hosted by SAP, on the sidelines of the UN Climate Action Summit today.
The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series, led by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), represents the top partnership from nearly one hundred applicants and five finalists selected to represent each of P4G’s focal Sustainable Development Goal areas: food and agriculture, water, energy, cities and the circular economy.
The First Lady of the Republic of Colombia María Juliana Ruiz Sandoval presented the award to Natasha Garcha, Associate Director, Innovative Finance at IIX who accepted on behalf of The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series. The Awards event included a global audience of high-level government leaders, CEOs, investors and civil society leaders.
The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series are innovative financial instruments “bringing Wall Street to back streets” by mobilizing large-scale private investments to drive women’s economic empowerment across multiple SDGs, including women in agriculture. Already, the partnership has raised US$8M in private capital to empower 385,000 underserved women across Southeast Asia to transition from subsistence to sustainable livelihoods. Other organizations supporting The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series include DBS Bank, ANZ, Shearman and Sterling, Hogan Lovells, Latham and Watkins, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, The Japan Research Institute, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), UN Women, The Clinton Global Initiative, and The Rockefeller Foundation.
P4G Global Director Ian de Cruz commented, “Congratulations to The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series for its recognition as the P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year. This partnership represents an innovative approach to financing programs that improve the lives of millions of women worldwide.. It is a model to inspire similar partnerships.”
P4G’s global judges selected The Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series this partnership based on the combination of innovation, impact, scale and implementation ability. The judges were: Stephanie Mehta, Editor in Chief of Fast Company; Carole Kariuki, Chief Executive Office of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance; Frank Rijsberman, Director General of the Global Green Growth Institute; and Karin Finkelston, Vice President of Partnerships, Communication and Outreach at International Finance Corporation (IFC).