Theme: The role of the government in enhancing impact in the Social Economy in Asia 
Venue: Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Building Z, Level 2
Audience: 80 pax of government officials from 14 countries in Asia, including Hong Kong, China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, India, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (the event was by invitation only)
 

In collaboration with AVPN, BMW Foundation, British Council, APD will provide a venue for policymakers in Asia to discuss how to effectively resolve various socio-economic issues in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the social economy (social innovation/social finance/social enterprises) and multisector collaborations, APD will be an opportunity to define the specific issues that many Asian countries/local governments face today and will find tailored ways of achieving SDGs collectively in the context of Asia. 
 

Background

On 26th May 2016, the Asia Policy Dialogue convened at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the day following the 4th AVPN Annual Conference. The Dialogue is supported by the BMW Foundation and British Council, and AVPN. 

Policy makers from across Asia will gather for knowledge exchange on how to create a more conducive eco-system for social enterprise and social investment as well as how governments can support the creation of an enabling environment for innovation to happen.

The dialogue further aims to explore how governments can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs through the promotion of social enterprise and social investment and seek to come up with a series of recommendations in this regard. It will also explore how governments can work together more collaboratively to achieve these goals.

Event Structure

Morning session:

• 0900 – 0940: Introduction speeches from 4 representatives of APD steering committee members: GSEF, BMW Foundation British Council and AVPN (10 minutes each)
• 940 – 1010: 15-min speeches from guest speakers Paul Carttar (former director of Obama’s Social Innovation Fund and Co-Founder of Bridgespan) and Cliff Prior (current CEO of UnLtd UK and incoming CEO of Big Society Capital) to set the tone and provide an overview on government policies and social investing eco-system relating to SDGs.
• 1010 – 1145: Presentations from regional representatives on each country’s programs pertaining to social investment or innovation (5 minutes each, estimated 12 representatives).
• 1145 – 1200: Morning session wrap up.

Afternoon session:

• 1300 – 1345: Panel discussion on multi-sector collaboration success cases, focused on the housing sector. Speakers will reflect on project collaborations between governments, private sector (e.g. real estate developer) and the intermediary actors (an organization that brings the project together): e.g. cooperatives of community-owned housing project.
• 1345 – 1445: Facilitated discussion by Paul Carttar, assisted by partners from AVPN, British Council, BMW Foundation, on how each country can contribute towards the SDGs with multi-sector collaboration initiatives.
• 1445 – 1545: Groups will reconvene to present thoughts about each country’s possible policy and program initiatives.
• 1545 – 1630: Closing on future steps of Asia Policy Dialogue.