On June 6, the third meeting of the Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (“STI Forum”) was held in the United Nations headquarter with the presence of Ambassador Toshiya Hoshino, the co-chair of STI Forum and a number of esteemed speakers. The special Event of the day was a roundtable of STI Funders and innovators titled “Impact Investing: Levering Frontier Technology to Deliver Prosperity to the Last Mile”. The event was moderated by Dr. Joseph Haldane, the chairman and CEO of the International Academic Forum and the Guest professor at the Osaka School of International Public Policy at the Osaka University in Japan alongside with Amber Nystrom, the Co-founding principal of 5th Element Group and the Co-Founder and CEO of 5th Element Fund and the Chair of Blockchain Commission on Sustainable Development and Blockchain for Impact, Special Office for Gender Equality and Equity. The panel included a selection of the world’s foremost pioneers and pathfinders that are leading a new frontier in impact investing and emerging technology to deliver integrated and systemic solutions to last mile prosperity globally. They all discussed and emphasized the importance of impact investment and the technology of Blockchain. During her speech, Janet C. Salazar, the CEO & Co-founder of IMPACT Leadership 21, underlined the importance of educating the youth about the SDGs and how Blockchain and impact investment can help promote and achieve them. She clearly stated that “we need to engage the pop culture and the youth because they are the future investors who will play a key role in their communities and the world.” Since Blockchain is a new technology, a lot of effort has to be made in order to educate not just young investors, but also college students about this new technology that is shaping the future of economy and impact investment. The point that Janet C. Salazar made through her speech draws our attention to the importance of education and engagement of the youth to be able to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and maintain the results on the long term. As she mentioned “All it takes is understanding and education.”
Author: Mariam Moustafa
