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AVPN Global Conference debuts in Middle East with three-day social investing programme

Jovi Ho
·3-min read

“The UAE has a rich history of giving, and that was one of the reasons why we chose to come to the UAE with our flagship event.”

The 11th edition of the AVPN Global Conference will open in Abu Dhabi on April 23, welcoming more than 1,500 attendees from the social investing space over three days of panels and presentations.

The conference is the flagship event of AVPN, the largest network of social investors in Asia.

Following a 2022 conference in Bali and last year’s iteration in Kuala Lumpur, the AVPN Global Conference 2024 takes place under the patronage of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council (IHPC).

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This is the first time the conference is being held in “West Asia”, says Naina Batra, AVPN’s chief executive officer at a media briefing on April 22. “The UAE has a rich history of giving, and that was one of the reasons why we chose to come to the UAE with our flagship event.”

This year’s theme of “One Asia, One Future” is “groundbreaking”, says Batra. “It really shows that we are one region. We have purposely chosen to come to Abu Dhabi, away from our usual locations, because we very much believe that this region is an integral part of Asia. We believe that by coming together in Abu Dhabi, we are going to be able to leverage the region’s geographic [and] economic potential to really drive impact across all of Asia.”

The conference includes more than 70 plenaries and breakout sessions, including live impact showcases, highlighting key social impact areas such as climate solutions, scaling health resilience, youth and women empowerment and technology-driven impact.

In addition, the second day of the conference is dedicated to impact investing. AVPN held its inaugural impact investing day at last year’s conference to “overwhelming feedback”, says AVPN impact investing chief Vikas Arora. “I’m happy to say that impact investing is now a mainstay for the conference.”

Asia now holds 42% of global wealth, but Arora points to instances of income inequality in the region. “We do see multi-dimensional poverty as well, with vast market gaps in basic areas, such as in water, healthcare and education.”

The region requires additional funding of nearly US$4 trillion dollars to meet its UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “This funding is not going to come from any one single pool of capital, like philanthropy or government aid, but it will need a combination of all pools of capital coming together,” says Arora, who joined AVPN in August 2023 after more than three decades in the financial sector, including 25 years at Deutsche Bank.

Host partners such as the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Reaching the Last Mile, Zayed Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation, Burjeel Holdings and Alef Education have lent their support to the conference.

In addition, core partners lending their support and commitment to advancing social impact at the conference include Emirates Red Crescent and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; while lead partners include The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd, Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Authority of Social Contribution — Ma’an, the Institute of Philanthropy, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB).

Sultan Al Shamsi, the UAE’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organisations Affairs, says AVPN’s Middle East debut “reflects the UAE’s legacy and leadership” in global development.

Al Shamsi, who is also a member of the IHPC, adds:  “Over the coming days, we look forward to dynamic conversations together as we explore opportunities to collaborate, innovate, and forge new alliances in support of humanitarian response as well as sustainable and inclusive development to ensure that no one is left behind.”

Learn more about impact investing and philanthropy

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