Lecture "Small Money, Big Impact"

Development needs money. According to estimates by the United Nations, there is currently a shortfall of almost 3.6 trillion Swiss francs per year to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals - for example "No Poverty" or "Zero Hunger". However, the wallets are no longer as loose as they used to be – the population is concerned about inflation, for example, and the states are concerned about rising arms spending. In this situation, impact-oriented investing can be an interesting model. Oikocredit, an international cooperative with Christian roots, has been cultivating this model for 50 years: investors invest in Europe and can earn a moderate dividend. At the same time, their capital enables people in the Global South to stand on their own two feet economically. The presentation will provide insights into the links between finance and sustainable development, introduce the topic of microfinance and present Oikocredit's work using concrete examples.

Robert Schikowski is an education officer at the Oikocredit German-speaking Switzerland Association, where he combines his professional experience in research, university management and adult education with his passion for sustainable development. His original training is linguistics, which has brought him into contact with topics such as disadvantaged communities and global justice through fieldwork stays in Nepal and Canada.

No registration required.