Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum 2023

From 11-12 September, global philanthropists and thought leaders gathered in Hong Kong to debate solutions to global inequity and pathways to a more sustainable future for all. Philanthropy, with its proven ability to catalyse change and deliver impact, was a major focus.

Convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the third Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum, which opened at the West Kowloon Cultural District, brought together more than 1,600 delegates from around the world, including close to 70 eminent speakers and over 200 representatives of regional and global foundations. Among them were philanthropic, academic, business, social sector and government leaders.

‘Over the past three years, we are seeing inflation outpacing wage growth, new technologies replacing old job types, climate change disproportionately impacting the vulnerable and rapid urbanisation creating uneven distribution of resources. This is a global challenge that requires collective action across borders and calls for deeper international dialogue that learns from both East and West,’ said Club Chairman Michael Lee. ‘We hope this will provoke in-depth discussions on fair access to economic opportunities, education and healthcare, and build impetus and motivation for building fairer societies in the future.’

Delivering the keynote address was 2019 Nobel Laureate in Economics Professor Abhijit Banerjee from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who spoke on the topic of ‘Balancing economic growth and equity goals’.

For the second keynote, Professor Banerjee was joined by former Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva and Professor Justin Yifu Lin, Dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics, Peking University and former Chief Economist of The World Bank. They discussed emerging East and West welfare models and how regional welfare models can be transformed to meet the changing needs of today’s world.

Leaders from global philanthropic institutions such as The Rockefeller Foundation, the Temasek Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and others joined the plenary sessions to discuss ‘Post-pandemic preparedness: Driving global collaboration through philanthropies.’

In his opening address, Club Chairman Michael Lee introduced the new Institute of Philanthropy (‘IoP’), a major new initiative from The Hong Kong Jockey Club. Conceived as a ‘think-fund-do’ tank, the IoP aims to promote philanthropic thought leadership at local, regional and global levels.

Prominent speakers include dChristiana Figueres, Co-host of ‘Outrage + Optimism’ and Former United Nations Climate Chief, award-winning author Dr Amitav Ghosh (Jnanpith Award, Dan David Prize and more), and Academy Award-winner Ke Huy Quan.

Opening speech

Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive, Mr John Lee

Read the full transcript here…

Interviews

Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President, Health Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation has a long history supporting the establishment of modern public health systems in Asia. Hence the presence of Naveen RAO, the foundation’s senior Vice President of health initiative at the Philanthropy for Fairer Societies conference in Hong Kong this month. Naveen was a speaker at a plenary that focused on global philanthropic collaboration to prevent and prepare for future public health crises. Read more…

Gabriel Leung, Executive Director, Charities and Community of Hong Kong Jockey Club

Prior to working at the Jockey Club, Gabriel was the Dean of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. Here, Gabriel explains to Alliance the vision behind the Forum and the establishment of the 5 Billion HK dollar initiative: “Institute of Philanthropy” announced on the first day, as well as how to collaborate with other philanthropic platforms in Asia. Read more…

Session reports

Shaping the future of philanthropy: Insights from next-gen philanthropists

The largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history is just beginning. Amounting to nearly $40 trillion in wealth, it poses an opportunity to make the next generation of donors more significant than ever. That prompted the panel discussion “Engaging the next generation: mobilizing wealth for good,” convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as part of the third Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum, brought together representatives of next-gen philanthropists and philanthropy advisors.

Moderated by Kithmina Hewage, Senior Advisor of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, the session revolved around two fundamental questions: How do next-gen philanthropists differ from their predecessors, and what strategies can effectively engage and support them in their philanthropic endeavors? Read more…

Embracing an ageing society: ‘we are all in this together’

A session on the topic of ‘Embracing an aging society’ took place on the second day at the beautifully designed Hong Kong Palace Museum Theatre. Aging populations are rising sharply, and more than half of the world’s population aged 65+ will be in Asia by 2025. Individuals that require long term care for both chronic diseases and daily activity are also forecast to quadruple by 2050.

The session was designed to explore the opportunities for and challenges in addressing an aging society, and discuss areas where philanthropy can plug in. Read more…

Empowering marginalized communities: navigating the layers of invisibility

The panel discussion “Serving the Underserved: How Cities Can Ensure Access to Economic Opportunities for Marginalized Groups,” convened by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as part of the third Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum, brought together a diverse group of experts from around the world. The session, moderated by Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, explored the multifaceted challenges faced by marginalized communities as they try to access economic opportunities within urban settings. Read more…

News and announcements

Hong Kong Jockey Club establishes Institute of Philanthropy, to boost philanthropic thought leadership

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced the establishment of the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP) at the opening of the Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum 2023 at the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.

With the mission of becoming a global ‘think-fund-do’ tank for China and Asia, the IoP is dedicated to promoting philanthropic thought leadership at local, regional and global levels together with fellow foundations, philanthropic stakeholders and other institutions. Grounded in the East, it will provide a convening platform to promote the common good. The Club has committed an initial sum of HK$5 billion to fulfil this mission. Read more…

Jockey Club’s annual forum closes with call for global multi-level collaboration

The closing remarks were delivered by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, who echoed the insights from the forum speakers, “If we are to truly leverage the power of philanthropy, we need to build platforms and communities which are permanently connected”. Read more…