Staff Reporter
Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation and Chairperson BISP was the keynote speaker at the roundtable on innovative financing for social impact.
The roundtable was jointly organized by Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit in Islamabad. The event was attended by members of the Ehsaas programme committee who are developing innovative financing mechanisms through bilateral and multilateral collaboration with the corporate sector, philanthropists, INGOs, and UN agencies.
The basic aim of the roundtable was to understand how the expertise of development sector and impact investors can be leveraged by Pakistan to achieve the Sustainable Develop Goals by 2030.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Nishtar stated: “It is imperative that Pakistan begin to adopt innovative financing models for the Ehsaas programme, so that it can maximize social impact and fulfill its mission to lift millions of people out of poverty. With a more strategic, collaborative and outcome focused approach to philanthropy and social investing, we can ensure that resources are deployed as effectively as possible to address key social challenges.”
The roundtable discussed the socio-economic viability of innovative financing models and practices in Pakistan, looked at priority areas for investment and analyzed which tools for innovative financing are most suitable for the Pakistani context.
The deliberations at the roundtable will contribute towards innovative financing mechanisms being developed under the Ehsaas programme. PCP is currently the lead sub-committee to propose innovative financing models for health, education and social welfare.