Women’s economic empowerment requires bold capital, stronger collaboration, and smarter pathways to action
The ASEAN Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Working Group marked its official launch and meeting at the AVPN Global Conference 2026, with participating members taking part in an official capacity for the first time since the platform was established in May 2026 with a mandate by ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC).
The working group brought together corporate, CSR and foundation leaders alongside and aims to connect private sector practice with regional policy dialogue, align corporate capital with ASEAN priorities and strengthen cross-sector collaboration across Southeast Asia, said organizers of the AVPN Global Conference 2026 concluded on 27 Aug in New Delhi.
The conferences saw a series of new partnerships, regional initiatives and capital commitments aimed at accelerating Asia-led solutions for climate action, health impact, gender equality and economic inclusion.
Held in India for the first time in the Conference’s 13-year history, the convening marked a significant milestone in AVPN’s fifteenth year of moving capital towards impact for Asia.
Over three days, the flagship Conference moved beyond dialogue to action. It made a bold call to shift Asia’s impact conversations from why Asia must lead to how leadership needs to happen – through blended finance, catalytic capital, and cross-sector partnerships that unlock capital at scale.
More than 2,400 delegates from 52 markets, as well as over 350 speakers across more than 140 sessions, worked to align capital with solutions, reduce fragmentation and accelerate deployment across borders.
Anchored by the theme “A Blueprint for Action in Asia”, the Conference delivered tangible outcomes, with key partnership and capital commitments such as:
Financing Women’s Economic Empowerment: A Continuum of Capital in Action. Unlocking women’s economic empowerment (WEE) at scale requires bold capital, stronger collaboration, and smarter pathways to action. This session brought together leaders across the continuum of capital to explore how philanthropy, corporate foundations and impact-driven organisations are reshaping capital flows to women across Asia. The session also launched the WEE feature on AVPN’s ImpactCollab platform, a dedicated space connecting funders to high-quality organisations that have undergone due diligence to advance gender equality and accelerate capital towards impactful WEE solutions.
Sangam Collaborative. As India advances towards its development ambitions for 2047, the challenge is no longer defining the vision. The Sangam Collaborative brings together government, philanthropy and ecosystem partners to strengthen public systems in education and health across five high-need Indian states, with an ambition to improve outcomes for 70 million people. The launch was officiated by Ajay Piramal (Chairman, Piramal Foundation), Mark Suzman (CEO, Gates Foundation) and Amit Chandra (Chairperson, Bain Capital India Office and Co-founder, A.T.E Chandra Foundation).
Global Mental Health Consortium. Mental wellbeing is increasingly recognised as a critical determinant of health, education, livelihoods, and social outcomes. Yet, funding and action remain fragmented across Asia. The Global Mental Health Consortium brings together cross-border experts, policymakers and practitioners to strengthen collaboration and advance better approaches to youth mental health.
AVPN–Erth Zayed Philanthropies Memorandum of Understanding. AVPN and Erth Zayed Philanthropies formalised their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the AVPN Global Conference 2026. The partnership will strengthen connections between philanthropic communities across Asia and West Asia, bringing together knowledge, networks and resources to support greater social impact. It also creates new opportunities to connect UAE-based philanthropy with AVPN’s wider regional network and deepen collaboration across the two regions.
A dedicated Impact Investing Day further advanced strategies to align the full continuum of capital, with particular emphasis on catalytic capital, domestic capital mobilisation, and scalable financing models.
Hosting the Conference in India for the first time reflected the country’s growing importance in Asia’s broader impact agenda. Beyond being a fast-growing economy, India is increasingly shaping new approaches to digital public infrastructure, healthcare, livelihoods, climate resilience and social innovation that are finding relevance well beyond its borders. As the country advances its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, the Conference provided a timely platform to connect these homegrown models with a wider regional ecosystem, reinforcing India’s role not only as a destination for capital, but as a source of ideas, partnerships and scalable solutions for Asia.
“We cannot afford incremental actions when the challenges before us are systemic, urgent and deeply interconnected. The real message from New Delhi is that Asian leaders are ready to lead, not only in ambition, but also in execution. We now need the confidence to build frameworks that reflect our region’s realities and align capital more intentionally to back solutions built by and for our communities. AVPN is committed to turning that ambition into a shared regional movement that delivers a more inclusive, resilient and prosperous future,” said Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO at AVPN.
AVPN is Asia’s largest platform for social impact, where over 700 resource providers, innovators and intermediaries from across 43 markets collaborate to mobilise capital. Grounded in deep regional expertise and partnerships, AVPN is building a thriving ecosystem that accelerates measurable progress toward inclusive growth, empowering Asia to lead the way in global impact. AVPN’s mission is to translate intent into impact by bringing together people, ideas, and resources for Asia. Fiinews.com
