From Ajaita Shah
Dear All,
We are looking forward to seeing you at COP 28 this year!
We're thrilled to announce that Frontier Markets and Frontier Innovations Foundation will have a presence at COP 28 this year.
We will be introducing our new initiative: "She Leads Bharat: Mahila Kisaan.” which aims to unlock the potential of 1 million small women farmers as climate champions of rural India through women facilitators, digital platforms, and market solutions in agriculture, renewable, energy and finance. This initiative is powered by Frontier Innovation Foundation’s “She-Leads Impact Fund,” a $20MN blended capital facility aimed to unlock markets and private sector capital for women. This first-of-its-kind catalytic capital fund was initiated by women leaders to harness the power of grant funding, corporate partnerships, and technology designed by women for women.
Our ultimate goal is to enable 1 million women digital facilitators who will positively impact the lives of 100 million women by 2030. The inaugural investments of the She Leads Impact Fund will focus on inclusive finance and climate interventions in India.
I am looking forward to speaking at several amazing COP 28 events this coming week thanks to amazing partners like Kite Insights, Edelman, EY, Adelphi, and of course, 2X. I'm looking forward to sharing insights and learning from the discussions at the summit.
Reach out if you want to chat more or find opportunities to collaborate: https://www.frontiermkts.com/she-leads-bharat
Here are the events – looking forward to seeing you there,
Ajaita
Event 1: Women In Finance and Energy Transition ROI: The new ROI return on impact through women in finance
Diversity is proven to be a competitive advantage across various industries and locations. A recent Blackrock study reveals that companies with more gender-balanced workforces outperformed their least-balanced counterparts by up to 2 percentage points annually from 2013 to 2022. Our panel discusses how gender parity is particularly crucial in the clean energy transition, where women often drive innovative and inclusive solutions.
We will be discussing the challenges in recruiting and retaining more women at all levels of the energy transition, from fund management and middle management to on-the-ground business ownership. The discussion emphasizes the unique perspectives and skills women bring, the impact of gender parity on decision-making, and the necessary steps to achieve it.
Location: Mubadala Pavilion, Energy Transition Hub, Green Zone
Date : December 4
Time: 15:00 – 16:00
Event 2: 2XG : Gender and climate-smart investing: the key to accelerating climate action
Despite being disproportionately negatively impacted by climate change, women – whether at a global, national or local level, within a political, business or social context – are already leading the charge for climate action. Moreover, as outlined by the UNFCCC women are key critical agents of change to building our society’s resilience and need to have elevated roles in decision-making positions and as users of climate capital. It’s been shown that corporations with robust female leadership have yielded a Return on Equity (ROE) of 10.1% annually, in contrast to the 7.4% for those lacking such leadership. Financing and supporting innovative climate solutions at speed and scale is key to meeting the targets set out by the Paris Agreement and ensuring a just transition. Moreover, advancing and further funding gender- smart adaptation and mitigation climate solutions is a core part of this inclusive pathway.
We will be discussing our role as a social business leading on gender and climate in India via She-Leads Bharat: Mahila Kisaan, and the opportunities to unlock private sector capital into the Agriculture, Finance and Renewable Energy sectors when investing in women entrepreneurs and women as market drivers.
Location: Technology and Innovation Hub, Green Zone
Date : December 4th
Time : 16:30 - 17:30 GST
Twist the kaleidoscope: Climate, gender and youth.
The roundtable discussion will examine how blended funding is particularly well suited to support young women entrepreneurs advancing solutions related to loss & damage, and adaptation & resilience, and explore what cross-sector, cross-industry and cross-skill collaborative solutions can be deployed towards this aim. How can thinking with a climate, gender, and youth lens help social impact entrepreneurs access the support they need to reach their full potential?
We are looking forward to sharing our experience in bringing a gender and emerging market lens via She-Leads Bharat: Mahila Kisaan, the blended capital approach via our Foundation to drive pilots around climate gender solutions in India unlocking businesses to take strong interest in rural market, gender, and climate initiatives.
Location: Majlis Room, DP World, Green Zone
Date : 5th December 2023
Time : 10.30-11.30 am
Climate Impact Female Founders Council
ClimateImpact is collaborating with EY to host the third Female Founders Council alongside COP28. In line with COP’s thematic agenda, we will be exploring the topic of Just Transition through varied discussions.
As Founder of Frontier Markets and Frontier Innovations Foundation, I will be sharing our perspective around where women farmers’ voices and experiences need to be included to design better green and climate interventions in India. Women as climate solvers, women as influencers, women as co-creators, women as the solution for Just Transitions.
Location: The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Date: Tuesday, 5 December
Time: 4-6pm GST
UNFCCC COP 28 Side Event Concept
This event will address key issues of a proactive climate foreign policy: How can cooperation between different partner countries address the climate crisis and accelerate the global energy transition - complementary to the climate negotiation process? How can the phase-out of fossil fuels be realised as quickly as possible, even in countries whose economies are still largely based on corresponding export revenues? How can partnerships be designed in such a way that they are successful for both sides and enable a just transition to a climate-neutral and socially just future?
We are looking forward to sharing our perspective from working in India, the role that Development Finance can play to unlock the potential of gender and climate, and share more about our She-Leads Impact Fund
Location: German Pavilion, Blue Zone
Date: Friday, 8 December
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm GST