Business Call to Action
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Launched at the United Nations in 2008, Business Call to Action (BCtA) aims to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by challenging companies to develop inclusive business models that engage people at the base of the economic pyramid (BoP) – people with less than US$10 per day in purchasing power in 2015 US dollars – as consumers, producers, suppliers, distributors of goods and services and employees.
BCTA is a unique multilateral alliance among donor governments – including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which hosts the secretariat.
A total 249 companies, ranging from multinationals to social enterprises, and working in 70 countries, have responded to the BCtA by committing to improve the lives and livelihoods of millions in developing countries through access to markets, financial services, affordable healthcare, water and sanitation, education and other critical services. BCtA member companies are market leaders that provide examples of successful, profitable and scalable models for reaching poor communities and contributing to global development.
Worldwide, 249 companies have responded to BCtA by making commitments towards the SDGs to improve the lives and livelihoods of millions through commercially-viable business ventures that engage low-income people as consumers, producers, suppliers, distributors of goods and services and employees. By 2030, these aggregated commitments will result in increased access to financial services for 59 million people, improved access to energy for 80 million people, improved access to healthcare services for over 617 million people and a 635-million-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, along with many other positive impact. But there is still much work to be done: inclusive businesses need support to increase their development impact. And while the responsibility for inclusive business rests with entrepreneurs, the environment in which the private sector operates is just as important as the nature of the business itself.
Luciana Aguiar holds a PhD degree in Social Sciences (anthropology) from Cornell University. For the last four years, she was the Private Sector in Development and Innovation Specialist for the United Nations Development Program in Brazil where she has developed innovative solutions on inclusive business, finance for development and private social investment. She has acted as a visiting professor at São Paulo University, FGV/EASP and Fundação Dom Cabral. Social Entrepreneur and founding partner of a Benefit company. She was a senior Partner of PlanoCDE, a company that produces and applies value-added knowledge for companies working with the base of the pyramid. PlanoCDE helps companies and organizations to enhance their prescence and social impact on lower income populations, helping to develop products, serves and new business models
For 15 years, Ms. Aguiar has been developing strategies to serve the people living at base of the socio-economic pyramid for institutions such as IDB, CGAP (World Bank) and national and international foundations. Together with corporations, she worked on knowledge management, impact assessment and innovation projects in the areas of financial inclusion, education, health, technology, mass consumer goods, retail and communication.
Mohammed Almoghayer (The Netherlands) is a Senior Partnership Advisor with the United Nations Development Programme. In this capacity, he provides programme support and policy formulation on partnership development issues and technical oversight for UNDP’s multi-stakeholder initiatives, including the BCtA.
He has significant experience in development, resource mobilization and programme design in the area of private sector in development and Islamic finance for early recovery activities in Somalia, Kenya, Jordan, Palestine, South Africa and Libya. He has also designed and implemented a successful targeted corporate outreach strategy that increased the number of non-traditional donors, including private sector companies from financial services, trade unions, telecom companies, airlines and the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sector.
Mohammed has worked as a Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Center of Middle Eastern Studies and has served as Partnership and Policy Advisor to the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He has provided strategic support and capacity building training on private partnership development, positioning, messaging, advocacy and corporate identity for several European parliaments, the US Congress and for UN leadership in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
He holds a master’s degree in International Political Economy and Development and a PhD in Development Studies from Erasmus Rotterdam University and Columbia University.
Sheila Casserly joins Business Call to Action as part of the Outreach and Membership Team. Sheila’s professional background in education and international relations has spanned from her native Minnesota to Berlin, Vienna and Istanbul. Sheila previously worked in the German Bundestag as a recipient of the International Parliamentary Scholarship and later moved to Istanbul, where she trained business professionals in corporate and cross-cultural communication skills at numerous Turkish and multinational companies. During her CEMS graduate studies in international management, Sheila served as representative of Koç University on the CEMS Global Student Board, where she led a team focused on responsible leadership and social responsibility in business education. Sheila holds a BA in Geography and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a CEMS MSc in International Management from Koç University in Istanbul and Vienna University of Business & Economics. She speaks English, German and Turkish.
Rabayl Mirza is Impact Management Specialist at the Business Call to Action. She has a strong track record of supporting organisations and companies manage and measure their impact. Prior to joining BCtA, Rabayl worked as a Senior Manager for the Measurement, Learning and Evaluation function at the Aman Foundation, $100 million social impact fund of the Abraaj Group.
At Aman, she put in place an impact framework and institutionalized evidence-based decision-making. She also led the Corporate Social Responsibility department for Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT), a private shipping conglomerate. At PICT Rabayl set up Organization for Social Development Initiatives (OSDI) that invested in health, education and livelihoods in the rural areas of Pakistan. She has also worked as a consultant with Stimulus (Pvt) Ltd to provide technical support on program design and impact measurement, and as Monitoring and Evaluation lead for the Sindh Rural Support Programs, a Pakistani government initiative to improve livelihoods for women in the rural areas.
She has an MSc in Economic Development and Policy Analysis from the University of Nottingham (UK) and a Bachelors in Business Administration from the Institute of Business Administration in Pakistan.
Pedro's role as an Impact Specialist at BCtA includes supporting companies to measure and manage their impact, conducting trainings on impact measurement plans development and providing technical assistance with BCtA's impact measurement tool, Impact Lab.
Pedro's professional background in business and education took him accross cities within different continents - from his native Lisbon to Bogota, Seoul and Istanbul. Pedro's broad knowledge spans from financial markets as he worked at EDP, the biggest utitlities company in Portugal, to education after working as an english professor in an initiative from Colombia's Ministry of Education and also marketing after his position as Marketing Director in AIESEC's Catolica office.
Pedro has a Double Degree MSc in Public Policy and Human Development from United Nations University and Maastricht University (Netherlands) and he holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Catolica-Lisbon, School of Business and Economics in Portugal.
During his studies, Pedro was actively involved in social projects, working as both financial controler and event planner for different NGOs focusing on integration of refugees in the community of Maastricht. He speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Alejandro Cáceres Monroy is the SDGs National Advisor for Colombia and LATAM at BCtA.
Prior to joining BCtA, Alejandro worked at the UNDP's Colombia Country Office where he was the National Officer for Poverty and Inequality Reduction. At the UNDP Colombia Country Office Alejandro put in place standardized mechanisms for measuring the results and inputs of projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Alejandro has served as a national advisor to the Ministry of Labour in Colombia on women’s empowerment and in developing public policy on how to engage the private sector in the fulfilment of women’s labour rights.
He holds a Master of Laws in International Public and Comparative Law from the University of California Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Political Science and Bachelor of Law from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia.
As part of his studies, Alejandro was a young researcher at the Williams Institute at the University of California where he was responsible for tracking grassroots organizations supporting access to justice for marginalized populations in the global south.
Juan is the Advisor for Colombia and LATAM for the Business Call to Action. Prior to joining BCtA, Juan worked at UNDP’s Colombia Country Office in Poverty and Inequality Reduction as part of their knowledge and innovation team.
Juan has extensive experience in the planning, development and roll-out of digital solutions across a broad range of projects, as well as in the management of collection, analysis and data visualization tools. He also has knowledge and technical experience in the monitoring, measurement and communication of social and environmental impacts.
Juan has carried out external impact evaluations for social projects in Colombia on gender and provided technical assistance for national-level NGOs. He has worked in the crime prevention and justice sector, including with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as a senior consultant for a social consulting firm in Colombia.
Sara’s role as Communications Specialist for the BCtA involves implementing and supporting the initiative’s communication strategy.
She has worked in communications and journalism in Pakistan, Canada and Turkey, including with non-profit organizations, the public sector and media organizations. As co-founder of a production company she worked with a diverse range of clients, including development organizations, in creating content for their communication needs.
Sara has worked for the Oscar-winning documentary production house SOC Films, Pakistan’s largest English daily Dawn, in corporate communications for the Toronto Police Service and in news media in Istanbul
Christopher’s role as BCtA’s Partnerships Analyst involves engaging with donors and key stakeholders to ensure the maintenance of effective and productive external relationships, as well as identifying potential new partnership opportunities that will promote collaboration within the inclusive business environment.
After initially starting his career in the UK banking sector, Christopher moved into education and academia, first working as an English professor in Italy, Austria and the Netherlands, before becoming a reviewer of academic research in the fields of economics, international business, development and political science. Christopher’s experience includes working for the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome.
Christopher holds master's degrees in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam and in Development and International Cooperation from La Sapienza – Università di Roma, as well as a Bachelor of Economics from the University of York.
Namita is the Outreach and Membership Analyst at Business Call to Action. Her role at BCtA includes identifying sectors and companies that are developing inclusive business models, engaging members with BCtA’s network, and conducting risk assessments.
Prior to joining BCtA, Namita worked as a Sustainability and Process Consultant with Windrose Capital, an India based venture capital company. As an applied anthropologist, Namita has experience across multiple sectors in India, Nepal, and the United States. She has been a corporate due diligence researcher with Exiger Diligence and has also led the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrition education program in Washington D.C.
Namita has a MA, Public Anthropology from American University (U.S.) and a BA, Media Studies from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (India).
Tianye Zhang holds a Master of Economics from the University of Warwick where his research was focused on development economics and public policy in developing countries. During his studies, Zhang interned in the financial sector including the Bank of China’s Luxembourg branch, HSBC and China Industrial Bank.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is Switzerland’s international cooperation agency within the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In operating with other federal offices concerned, SDC is responsible for the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation with Eastern Europe, as well as for the humanitarian aid delivered by the Swiss Confederation.
Sida works according to directives of the Swedish Parliament and Government to reduce poverty in the world. The overall goal of Swedish development cooperation is to contribute to making it possible for poor people to improve their living conditions. Sida's head office is located at Valhallavägen in Stockholm, but staff are also stationed in the partner countries. We are organized in ten departments, Internal Audit and the Director-General's Office. Five departments work with implementing the development assistance and five with support, steering and control A large proportion of the contribution management is delegated to the foreign missions. Sida's Director-General is called Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. Bo Netz is Deputy Director-General. The total number of employees is 678 people (jan. 2014), of which approximately 140 persons work outside Sweden. Approximately 65 per cent of the employees are women.
DFID is the UK Government department that manages Britain’s aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the channel through which the Dutch Government coordinates and carries out Dutch foreign policies, labor, environment and anti-corruption.
UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.
Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) supports the private sector and foundations to become transformative partners in development through research, advocacy for inclusive business, facilitation of public-private dialogue and brokering partnerships. IICPSD, established in 2011 in partnership with the Government of Turkey, is one of UNDP's six Global Policy Centres.
