Starting off the second day at the Youth Global Forum 2018, we had the privilege to hear Dr. Vladimir Yakunin, chairman and co-founder of the Dialogue of Civilization Research Institute and former Deputy Minister of Transport and Railway in Russia. Dr. Yakunin shared his insights on environmental protection through impact investing, the theme of this year’s Forum. He believes impact investing is related to “doing something influencing other processes”, but he also highlights that it is not that simple in the course of social development to achieve cooperation between state, society and individuals […]. Social entrepreneurship is a correlation between economic and social development”. He states that the inequality gap is rising between the richer who are getting richer and the poorer getting poorer, therefore he encourages the youth to develop solutions for most urgent problems acting upon the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He also presented his studies on transport infrastructure and climate in search of balance emphasizing on the need for a more eco-friendly and sustainable investment focusing on reducing emissions and pollution leading to health problems. Dr. Yakunin engaged his young audience by splitting them into 6 groups in which they had to present and propose solutions to 3 case studies related to public transport.
Part of the agenda of the day also included two workshops focusing on Impact Investing in Education and the Latest Trends in Impact Investment and New Financial Tools for Impact Investing presented by Dr. Rieki Crins and Expert Ardo Ryan Dwintanto, Expert Mohammad Shaheed Khan, respectively. Expert Robert Rubinstein, founder of TBLI (Triple Bottom Line Investing) Group that specializes in Environmental, Social and Governance ESG and Impact Investing, using Triple Bottom Line principles. Mr. Rubinstein gave a presentation about Demystifying Impact Investing and changing the mindset of the financial sector about the risk perception of investing in social entrepreneurship. He mentioned the countless opportunities there are to invest in social impact driven businesses which are currently still very much not known by investors. Macroeconomist Ekkehard Ernst also spoke about focusing on regions with unemployment issues that have been helped by impact investors and social enterprises.
For the Masterclass, Dr. Waleed Sadek was invited to speak on the role of impact investing in achieving the SDGs. In his opinion, an entrepreneur should have an overview of the entrepreneurial activity before undergoing the process, as well as being able to understand the dynamic process of creating incremental wealth and innovation. He stated that “the most important verification and creative business plan to convince possible investors is to first consult financial advisors to ensure analytical planning and organization of resources”.
He also emphasized the role of the entrepreneurs to be constant everywhere and to continuously learn, while understanding their environment, making strategies to contribute to financial systems and sustaining livelihood. He fervently encourages all the presenters to know what they are good at and be crazy good at it, while complementing the skills they lack with the help of others.
With such intense debates and presentations, the day was a success. The next item on the agenda was the networking evening, which was a rehearsal floor for the youth participants and presenters to prepare themselves for the pitch that would follow the next day. The speakers all looked professional and talked with such confidence that we are sure they will deliver such impactful speeches on the pitch day.
