Press Release: United Nations Development Programme’s Business Call to Action teams up with Yunus Social Business to help reach the Sustainable Development Goals.

BERLIN, Germany - 14 October 2022 - Business Call to Action (BCtA) and Yunus Social Business (YSB) today announced their collaboration to create new opportunities for inclusive and social businesses in low- and middle-income markets. BCtA and YSB will bring together their expertise and networks to increase progress towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The partnership will catalyse the work for both organisations on a number of levels. It will create increased opportunities for companies in both BCtA’s and YSB’s portfolios to gain recognition and visibility, access to capital, technical support and access to a network of like-minded inclusive and social businesses. Among other collaborations, YSB will take part in BCtA’s Inclusive Innovation Journey.

The partnership will also create enhanced awareness of the opportunities in, and approaches to, incorporating low-income communities into core business activities. As part of the partnership, BCtA and YSB will collaborate to drive social intrapreneurship - socially-minded entrepreneurial programmes within corporations. BCtA will be a steering-group member of the Unusual Pioneers, an initiative co-created by Yunus Social Business and the World Economic Forum’s Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. BCtA will also create opportunities for its network and Unusual Pioneers cohort members, enabling its network members to participate as mentors, speakers and members of the programme’s executive circle.

Finally, the partnership will contribute to a strengthened ecosystem for socially-focused businesses to launch and scale. As mission-aligned organisations, BCtA and YSB will collaborate on ecosystem-building thought-leadership research, events and communications. They will vocally advocate for and share knowledge on impact measurement and management.

Saskia Bruysten, Co-founder and CEO of Yunus Social Business, said, “We are thrilled about the opportunities that this partnership will create for social businesses and social intrapreneurs. Business Call to Action is closely aligned with Yunus Social Business’ mission to harness the power of business to end poverty and the climate crisis. So we see amazing potential synergies that we’re excited to explore: for our portfolio, for our Unusual Pioneers intrapreneurship programme and in our ecosystem-building and thought-leadership efforts.”

ABOUT BUSINESS CALL TO ACTION

Busines Call to Action (BCtA) is a UNDP initiative recognising and advancing inclusive businesses to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. BCtA hosts a global community of 280+ companies implementing scalable, commercially-viable business models that directly engage the poor in low- and middle-income markets in core business activities.

ABOUT YUNUS SOCIAL BUSINESS

Yunus Social Business (YSB) is a social business fund and corporate social innovator, harnessing the power of business to end poverty and the climate crisis. Co-founded in 2011 by Peace Nobel Laureate Prof. Yunus, YSB Funds finances and grows social businesses in East Africa, Latin America & India, while Yunus Corporate Innovation transforms corporations into a force for good. To date, social businesses in YSB’s portfolio have impacted the lives of 13 million people and provided higher incomes to 50,000. Investment Readiness Programmes form part of YSB’s wider ambition to contribute to building the ecosystem in the geographies in which YSB is active.

CONTACTS

Guy Sephton

Yunus Social Business

guy.sephton@yunussb.com

Sara Faruqi

Business Call to Action

sara.faruqi@undp.org