Financial Inclusion and Boosting Prosperity

27 August - 9 September 2020               

Jeju-do, Republic of Korea

Background

Inclusive and sustainable economic growth is what the Sustainable Development Goal 8 ultimately calls for. As a response, policy makers and researchers around the world have paid increasing attention to the linkage between poverty alleviation and the recent developments of inclusive finance. In the context of sustainable development, financial inclusion and green investment have served as a driver for sustained economic growth[1].

Inclusive finance means “individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs delivered in a responsible and sustainable way[2].” As opposed to the traditional finance where people living in rural areas have largely been overlooked because of their low income level, inclusive finance provides equal opportunities for the low-income people to enjoy quality financial services.

In addition, inclusive finance can be directly related to the accessibility of digital financial services. Supported by ever-developing financial service and technologies, digital finance has the potential as “greases the wheels[3]” of the economic activity. If made equally available for everyone, it would benefit a wider range of people, with positive impacts on the economic development.

At the same time, the challenge of financing sustainable development has made green finance a more prominent solution. Defined as the increasing financial flows to the priorities of sustainable development[4], it serves as a catalyst for increasing the volume of investment in sustainable growth and achieving financial stability through consolidating environmental, social and governance factors into investment decision-making[5].

Based on this understanding, CIFAL Jeju organizes on Online Workshop on Financial Inclusion and Boosting Prosperity that aims to support the Asian Pacific government officials and leaders of society in making and implementing policies for inclusive and sustainable economic development.

Event objectives

The workshop is expected to help the rural communities in Asia and Pacific to seize the opportunities generated by the recent developments in inclusive finance, and to give guidance to policy makers in the region on their policy attempts towards inclusive and sustainable future. For the capacity building, this event will;

·          Provide an opportunity for the local governments in the Asia-Pacific region to virtually exchange policies and best practices on financial inclusion and green investment;

·          Establish a strong network which can be utilized after the workshop;

·          Offer a virtual venue to motivate each other to implement well-designed policies, with a particular focus on UN SDGs.

Learning objectives

At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to:

·          Understand the recent developments of financial inclusion in the sustainable development context;

·          Identify risk factors in green financing to propose policy solutions

·          Present the action plan proposals;

·          Effectively promote the benefits of inclusive digital service and green financing  for inclusive and sustainable transformation.

Target audiences

Central/local authorities, representatives from NGOs, leaders of regional and community-based organizations, academic and training institutions and other local actors, who are working in the field of sustainable finance and striving to achieve financial inclusion within the Asia-Pacific region.

Event details

·          Event type           Online workshop

·          Date                      27 August - 9 September, 2020

·          Organizer             UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/Jeju International Training Center

·          Certificate            UNITAR and UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC will jointly issue

a certificate upon the completion of the training.

*Along with the certificate, CIFAL Jeju is going to select one best participant during the workshop, who will be given a priority in selection of beneficiaries when applying for an offline capacity building program organized by CIFAL Jeju in the future.

Programme Detail

Application and deadline

Send the following documents to cifaljeju.smart@gmail.com, email titled: UNITAR CIFAL Jeju Financial WS Application by 14th August, 2020 (Friday):

 ** Late application will NOT be accepted.

Requirements

Applicants are required to:

·          Be fluent in written and spoken English

·          Complete and submit assignments on time

·          Actively participate in the 2-week training program

Note

·          Application without the required documents will NOT be considered.

·          Participation is subject to the approval of the application by UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC.