In December, the ANDE South Asia Convening delivered an impactful exploration of its compelling theme, “Big Ideas for Small Business.” Building on the energy of ANDE’s Global Annual Conference 2024, the event gathered visionary leaders, innovators, and practitioners for three days of meaningful dialogue and collaboration. The event was a testament to the power of collective action, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas that will continue to drive positive change for entrepreneurs across South Asia.
In December, the ANDE South Asia Convening delivered an impactful exploration of its compelling theme, “Big Ideas for Small Business.” Building on the energy of ANDE’s Global Annual Conference 2024, the event gathered visionary leaders, innovators, and practitioners for three days of meaningful dialogue and collaboration. The event was a testament to the power of collective action, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas that will continue to drive positive change for entrepreneurs across South Asia.
In December, the ANDE South Asia Convening delivered an impactful exploration of its compelling theme, “Big Ideas for Small Business.” Building on the energy of ANDE’s Global Annual Conference 2024, the event gathered visionary leaders, innovators, and practitioners for three days of meaningful dialogue and collaboration. The event was a testament to the power of collective action, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas that will continue to drive positive change for entrepreneurs across South Asia.
India's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2070 and ambitious renewable energy targets underscores its focus on sustainable growth. Despite significant progress, climate adaptation challenges remain. Discover how Global Business Inroads (GBI) drives cleantech and circular economy development by connecting innovators, markets, and investors through initiatives like the UK-India Net-Zero Innovation Program and Circular Fashion Platform. Using platforms like Global Technology Interface®, GBI fosters technology deployment, capacity building, and sustainable entrepreneurship, empowering businesses to scale, address environmental challenges, and create dignified jobs globally.
The Gujarat State Women’s SEWA Cooperative Federation in India is a notable initiative that has inspired similar efforts around the world. SEWA, or the Self-Employed Women's Association, has adopted a dual strategy: organizing poor women workers in the informal economy in a union and promoting women owned cooperatives to empower them. These cooperatives offer improved employment and income generation opportunities, along with a range of services such as financial, insurance and social security services, as well as business and leadership training. Recently, the ILO has received requests from its constituents to better understand SEWA’s approach for potential adaptation and replication in Asia and beyond.
This report aims to explore the challenges and opportunities for cooperatives and other SSE entities in empowering women workers in the informal economy, with a specific focus on the experience of the SEWA Cooperative Federation. It draws on in-depth interviews with cooperative leaders and members, as well as relevant reports and studies. The report examines why and how SEWA has used the cooperative model and discusses the challenges the Federation faces in incubating and supporting women’s cooperatives and collective enterprises. It also features SEWA cooperatives from various sectors, including finance, insurance, childcare, dairy, organic agriculture, healthcare, waste management and cleaning services. Finally, the report identifies lessons learned and good practices that can guide efforts to adapt and replicate similar initiatives in other parts of the world.
In December, join our flagship regional event to explore strategic regional approaches to support SGBs, impact investing, and innovative financing solutions.