Innovest Advisory’s Post

Really looking forward to joining colleagues from the Near East Foundation, UNDP and Al Ghurair Foundation at this event in Brussels this week to talk about blended finance solutions to crowd in private capital into investments in fragile contexts. I will be sharing experience from our work with NEF on the design and launch of Siraj Financial Services (SFS), the Middle East's newest non-banking financial instution. Operating in Northern Syria, SFS has dispersed 3,600 loans to Syrian micro and small enterprises for a total value of $4.5 million and has a current active portfolio of $2 million and 2,500 active clients across 10 branches. #financialinclusion, #SMEfinancing, #blendedfinance, #postconflictrecovery, #impactinvesting,

On 27 May, during the eighth edition of the Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region' hosted by the European Union, the donor community pledged a total amount of €7.5 billion in support (€5 billion in grants & €2.5 billion in loans). This amount includes € 2.12 billion pledged by the EU itself (for 2024 & 2025), with the total sum pledged by the EU and its Member States amounting to almost €6 million. This strong commitment shows once more the willingness of the EU and the international community to support people affected by the crisis, both in Syria and in neighbouring countries.

🚀 Announcing the launch of Syria in Figures! 📊 I’m thrilled to share that we’ve just released the inaugural issue of Syria in Figures—a new monthly publication that offers data-driven insights into Syria’s ever-evolving political economy. In this first edition, we delve into: 📈 The rising number of Syrian asylum seekers in the EU and the policies driving these trends. 💼 Iran’s diminishing economic footprint in Syria and the hurdles Tehran is facing. 🔗 An analysis of how sanctioned individuals are using family networks to evade restrictions. 🎙️ An exclusive interview with Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident Coordinator for Syria, on the funding crisis, aid diversion, and the looming launch of the Early Recovery Trust Fund. I hope Syria in Figures becomes a go-to resource for policymakers, humanitarian actors, and researchers navigating Syria’s complex landscape. https://lnkd.in/gjvxvpSW

Register for this webinar to know more about the work that PROCOL is leading in Lebanon!

For the first time since the start of the Industrial Revolution, MENA stands on the cusp of a new Golden Age, brought about by economic transformation that is set to reshape the region and create long-term prosperity for its people. Since 2020, we have been tracking the key dimensions that will accelerate the economic integration needed for MENA to reach its full potential - free flow of capital, data, people and goods and services. Our latest report, released at #WEF24 yesterday, shows that there is almost USD1 trillion in untapped GDP growth for the region if we can improve integration across these dimensions. We certainly see some great progress towards reaching economic potential across MENA. UAE, Saudi and Egypt’s increased trade and FDI means that collectively they now match the PPP GDP of the UK or France. However, our research shows that MENA as a whole is still punching well below its weight - holding 4.2% of the global population, but producing just 3.3% of global GDP. Government initiatives are an important factor in improving integration and unlocking growth, but I believe the private sector must take the lead in driving the investment and collaboration needed to accelerate the pace of change. Many thanks to my fellow panellists for a fantastic discussion at yesterday’s event - HE Rania A. Al-Mashat, Hatem Dowidar and Shirin Pakfar - Friborg and to John Defterios for moderating. Download the report here https://maf.am/48YzXjQ

The Association vivre au Sahel was born in 2012 from the conviction of a number of people of good will who realized that the situation of our society in terms of development, adaptation to climate change and the fight against poverty required the mobilization of everyone. This situation is aggravated by the disruption as well as the loss of the values that govern our society, leading to the proliferation of criminal groups (drug traffickers, terrorists, banditry etc.) threatening civil peace in Mali. AVS, which became an NGO in 2016, has as its main mission: Strengthening the protection and resilience of populations affected by crises and climate change in Mali. The NGO AVS works in three areas: protection, the environment and food security. It has a dozen projects in Mali, notably in the north of the country in Timbuktu and Taoudenni. In terms of figures, the NGO AVS has reached 30,000 people through its projects, 50 communes in Mali and 70 villages in northern Mali. The NGO AVS works with several donors, including UNICEF, ACTED, the Malian government, the US embassy in Mali, the CRS...

Unlocking the Power of Information Management in Ukraine’s #Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster💪 Charles Hopkins, FSL Cluster Coordinator in #Ukraine 🇺🇦, describes iMMAP Inc.'s #informationanagement as the driving force behind Cluster operations. “It’s like an engine that drives our car in the right direction, empowering our partners to deliver timely and targeted life-saving aid.” 🚚 Since the inception of the Cluster Support Project in 2022, iMMAP Inc. Information Management Officers (IMOs) have furnished the FSL Cluster with a total of 510 IM products 📊, including 45 custom-designed ones. They strengthened coordination within the Cluster's response framework 🙌 and equipped cluster partners with valuable skills through capacity-building sessions 🚀. Learn more about how IM and IMOs have shaped Cluster development in Ukraine: https://ow.ly/wS8950RTRlP IM and capacity-building Support to the Ukraine Crisis Response Clusters is funded by USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. #InformationManagement #FSLCluster #CapacityBuilding #HumanitarianAssistance

In a time of intersecting global crises, we are facing a paradigm shift in patterns of civil society funding. Our latest research gives an in-depth analysis of the evolving strategies among international and domestic donors in the Western Balkans. 🔍 Discover: 🔸 How the grantmaking dynamics are changing in the region. 🔸 How donor priorities are shifting, and which causes and organizations they seek to support in the future. 🏛️ Who Is the Research for: 🔸 Donors and stakeholders in the Western Balkans seeking to improve coordination with their civil society recipients. 🔸 Civil society organizations looking to improve their funding strategies. Get expert insights, detailed analysis by country, and actionable recommendations: Download the full report now for a thorough overview of changes in the donor landscape. 📥 https://lnkd.in/dU8N678q Donor Strategies in a Time of Paradigm Shift - Mapping of The Donors Active in The Western Balkans was prepared by Catalyst Balkans with the generous support of Open Society Foundations - Western Balkans, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness, and the European Commission

Figure of the day: 77% - a measure of circumvention representing the share of ODA-funded activities that is implemented by entities other than recipient governments, such as donor country agencies, and international NGOs. To learn more about circumvention and how it affects developing countries, register for the upcoming July 19 event on the international aid architecture hosted by The Brookings Institution at https://lnkd.in/egTHYZUj