The Impact World This Week: 30 January 2025

Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean: Expect to hear Mandarin in Medellín and meet Haitians in Hong Kong at the Latimpacto and AVPN annual conferences this year, after the announcement of a strategic partnership between the two impact investing organisations. The partnership will provide discounted membership and tickets to events for the respective organisations’ members, with the aim of strengthening collective impact across the continents. 

Ireland: 100 social enterprises will be funded by the government to receive accreditation from verification framework People and Planet First, led by the Social Enterprise World Forum. The accreditation will be part of a pilot programme to investigate the challenges and merits of voluntary accreditation for social enterprises in Ireland. Representative body Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland said the programme aims to address the lack of understanding of social enterprise in the country. The deadline for expressions of interest is 7 February.

• Read more: ‘People and planet first’: SEWF launches new brand to unite social enterprises around the world

England and Wales: Only 10% of social enterprises and charities rated themselves as ‘advancing’ or ‘advanced’ in monitoring and taking steps to address their negative environmental impacts. That’s according to the results of a survey carried out by consultancy Eastside People and third sector CEO membership body Acevo and released on Wednesday. The most significant gap between importance and progress ratings in the survey came on the subject of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI). 99% of respondents said it was ‘important’ or ‘very important’ but most (56%) rated their progress as ‘starting out’ or ‘developing’.

UK: Civil society is treated as a stakeholder to be managed by the UK government, according to a new report. The Mission Critical 03 report was published on Wednesday by The Future Governance Forum, in partnership with social sector think tank NPC and Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales. The report makes the case for a genuine two-way partnership between civil society and state. It warns the Civil Society Covenant – unveiled by the government last year to strengthen partnerships with the sector – is a display of the right principles but without concrete mechanisms for change risks failing to deliver meaningful improvements.

• Read about the launch of the Civil Society Covenant in The Impact World this Week: 24 October 2024

Ecuador: Impact investor Impaqto Capital has closed its first fund above target at US$2.1m. Impaqto Capital Fund I provides flexible debt instruments to early-stage impact startups, such as revenue-based finance, enabling them to grow without renouncing ownership. It has already invested in six ventures in the Andean region, having an impact on an estimated 177,000 lives, and aims to build a portfolio of 12 to 15 companies. “This fund demonstrates that investing in impact startups here is not only possible but can yield transformative results,” said Justin Schwartz, managing partner of Impaqto Capital.
 

Movers and Shakers

• Jovan Owusu-Nepaul is Social Enterprise UK’s new head of public affairs. In the 2024 UK general election, Owusu-Nepaul stood against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as a Labour candidate for the Clacton seat in Essex aged just 27.

In case you missed it

Global: Asset managers are invited to pitch their most innovative climate finance ideas to British International Investment. The UK’s development finance institution has ringfenced £50m to invest in projects that will scale private investment in emerging markets and developing economies to combat climate change. One to three proposals will be awarded the concessional capital to help them mobilise private investment, by trying to bridge the gap between returns and institutional investors’ risk appetite.