Mark Kramer, Co-Founder of FSG, to Keynote the Global Engagement Forum Live

The convening will drive collaborative action on skills gap, non-communicable diseases, and post-harvest loss
Dec 13, 2016 10:15 AM ET

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 13, 2016 /3BL Media/ - Mark Kramer, co-founder of the prominent social impact firm, FSG, will keynote the Global Engagement Forum Live, taking place April 4 – 5 in Washington, DC.  Kramer advocates for an ecosystem approach to create shared value—a concept that connects societal and economic progress.

“Collective impact is based on the idea that social problems arise from and persist because of a complex combination of actions by players in all sectors. Therefore, these issues can be solved only by the coordinated efforts of those players, from businesses to government agencies, charitable organizations, and members of affected populations,” points out Kramer in “The Ecosystem of Shared Value,” recently published Harvard Business Review. “What is needed is nothing less than changing how the system functions.”

The Global Engagement Forum Live, hosted by PYXERA Global, focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals—also known as the Global Goals—especially the need for collaboration across the public, private, and social sectors to make progress towards them. Throughout two days of facilitated collaboration, an interdisciplinary group of thinkers from across the three sectors will work to create collaborative action on three imminently solvable problems within the Global Goals. (Request an invitation here.) These issues are:

  • Closing the Youth Employability and Skills Gap: With nearly 75 million youth unemployed globally, young people aged 15–24 are disproportionately affected by unemployment. This trend is continuing upward and has reached an astounding 25 percent in some countries. In contrast, employers state that they cannot hire enough skilled workers to grow their businesses. Is collaborative action the key? How can we prepare the workforce of tomorrow and close the skills gap?
  • Preventing the Preventable; Treating the Treatable: Cervical cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and hypertension are three non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that are preventable and easily screened/diagnosed. They also have known treatments, even if those treatments are not as widely available and affordable as necessary to combat the problem. Despite this, millions lose their lives, directly or indirectly, to these illnesses each year. How can collaborative action reduce the incidence of and mortality from these NCDs?
  • Reducing Post-Harvest Loss: As much as 50 percent of all fruits and vegetables are lost between field and market in lower income countries, while over 1.2 billion people across the globe are food insecure. As the world’s population grows towards 9 billion by 2050, businesses and communities can no longer afford these inefficiencies. How can tri-sector collaboration solve this problem?

“The Forum is a blueprint for organizations aspiring towards the shared value model and systemic change,” said Deirdre White, CEO, PYXERA Global. “We are bringing together individuals from companies, government, and civil society that have something to contribute and something to gain through participation. Our expectation is that this event will provide them the insight and inspiration to collaborate to scale solutions to these challenges.”

The Forum will also feature innovative approaches that cut across these issues, such as partnership, global pro bono, leadership, and new models that are driving game-changing progress on these three areas.

Request an invitation to join leaders from across sectors for two days of intensive collaboration to move the Sustainable Development Goals from aspiration towards achievement.

About PYXERA Global
@PYXERAGlobal

Join Solving the Solvable: PYXERA Global Engagement Forum Live on April 4-5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. to connect with leaders focusing on key solvable problems within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

For more than 25 years, PYXERA Global has leveraged the unique strengths of corporations, governments, social sector organizations, educational institutions, and individuals to enhance the abilities of people and communities to solve complex problems and attain mutually beneficial goals.

The PYXERA Global team is passionate and dedicated to navigating challenges and pinpointing purposeful global engagement opportunities for its clients and partners. Initiatives include a wide range of services from local content development to global pro bono programs and integrated community development efforts that transform lives and livelihoods.

Contact: Katie Levey
Director of Media Relations, PYXERA Global
klevey@pyxeraglobal.org
917.593.1989