Swiss Cantonal Banks Launch Innovative Financing Mechanism in Partnership with Education Cannot Wait
The new investment fund will donate 2% of its volume to the education of children affected by crises around the world.
Through an innovative partnership with Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations – the Swiss Cantonal Banks have launched an investment solution to support the education of children and adolescents affected by crises.
The new return oriented fund is based on investments in liquid sustainable bonds and equities, and will donate 2% of its volume each year to ECW. This regular donation mechanism offers an opportunity to combine sustainable financial investment with philanthropy.
The Cantonal banks are supporting the new product with seed capital of 10 million Swiss francs (CHF). This initiative is an effort to help achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which aims to ensure access to quality education for all, and to promote lifelong learning opportunities.
"The great collaboration with the Swiss Cantonal banks in support of education and the purpose driven work of ECW and the SDC has inspired us to create a solution which provides Swiss based investors with a sustainable investment opportunity and a highly efficient donation mechanism," reiterates Anja Hochberg, Head of Multi Assets Solutions at Cantonal Bank of Zurich.
"This groundbreaking partnership with the Swiss Cantonal banks pioneers a transformative financing model that invites philanthropic action to support Education Cannot Wait’s mission. Together, we're ensuring that every child's right to education is not just a hope, but a promise fulfilled – even in the most challenging humanitarian crises," says Education Cannot Wait Executive Director, Yasmine Sherif.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is a key public donor and partner of ECW and represents Switzerland on ECW's governance structure. It supports this new initiative by the Cantonal banks through regular strategic dialogue with ECW, by ensuring the transparency of ECW's impact reports, and by liaising with other investors active in the field of education. The SDC does not participate financially in the Cantonal Banks' Education Initiative.
About Education Cannot Wait
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth.
On X (formerly Twitter), please follow: @EduCannotWait, @YasmineSherif1, @KentPage
Additional information available at: www.educationcannotwait.org
For press inquiries:
Anouk Desgroseilliers, adesgroseilliers@un-ecw.org, +1-917-640-6820
Kent Page, kpage@unicef.org, +1-917-302-1735
For other inquiries: info@un-ecw.org
More featured content
