Catalyst 2030 Awards | 2021
For Systemic Change
FINALISTS 2021
Government
A country’s national/provincial government or government agency that supports systems change through its programmes.
AWARDEE PROFILE: Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development
In recognition of your commitment to achieving and measuring SDG 12.
The mandate of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development chaired by the Prime Minister, is to ensure that the international sustainable development goals are included in national policy. The Commission promotes cooperation in order to achieve the sustainable development goals. The General Secretariat, headed by Annika Lindblom, coordinates at the central government level, and also plays an active role in influencing sustainable development work in the EU, UN, OECD and Nordic contexts.
Together with the General Secretariat on Sustainable Development, Annika has ensured funding for social entrepreneurs. This funding has specifically been directed at achieving and measuring SDG 12. Additionally, she ensured funding for sustainable smartphones to further help accomplish this goal.
We are proud to confer the Catalyst 2030 Award upon the Government of Finland: National Commission on Sustainable Development for its active work toward achieving the SDGs through partnerships with social entrepreneurs.
”Finland is honoured to receive this award. We continue working with our international partners for moving from linear economy to a circular one. In this work, we see concrete and measurable targets as a key element that helps us to move towards sustainable consumption and production.”
Visit the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development website
AWARDEE PROFILE: Government of Paraguay
In recognition of your commitment to promote collaboration and the contribution of social entrepreneurs to public policy.
Since 2018, the government of Paraguay has been evolving its National Protection System towards a system that cooperates with diverse actors involving representatives of civil society organisations, research centres, academia and the private sector. Additionally, the Ministry of Social Development is in a process of restructuring its main social programmes, promoting collaboration and the contributions of social entrepreneurs to public policy. Finally, the government has installed an SDG commission to facilitate progress. With UNDP’s support, Paraguay is the first country in the region to adopt SDG Bonds, which will support the COVID recovery phase by financing projects that both stimulate the economy and contribute to social and environmental gains – to build back greener.
The Government of Paraguay is committed to strengthening the national social protection system and is advancing in that agenda with support from the private sector and the third sector. Through this collaboration, it has valued the contribution of social entrepreneurs to public policy and in the sharing and co-creation of data. The presence of a local network of the United Nations Global Compact – that includes more than 100 companies and social entrepreneurs – also reinforces the joint work towards the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the SDGs.
The Government of Paraguay stands out in its collaborative working structure and mechanism for the uptake of a national social protection system, aligned to the people and their needs throughout the life cycle. We are proud to recognise this commitment with the Catalyst 2030 Award.
Visit the Government of Paraguay website
AWARDEE PROFILE: Government of Taiwan
In recognition of your commitment to social innovation by collaborating and co-creating solutions with social entrepreneurs.
Since social enterprises first began appearing in Taiwan around 2007, the Government of Taiwan has endeavoured to create a supportive environment for them. Its Social Enterprise Action Plan (2014) and Social Innovation Action Plan (2018-2022) delineate its multi-pronged approach to supporting social entrepreneurs: building awareness, providing funding, overseeing incubation, balancing between regulation and deregulation, promoting collaboration, and creating networking opportunities.
The Government of Taiwan has leveraged the power of information by sharing and co-creating data and promoting conversations, exchange and cooperation with local and international partners. It has leveraged its ecosystem convening power to facilitate reflection and action through various initiatives such as its annual Presidential Hackathon crowdsourcing innovative solutions to societal challenges. It effectively facilitates a structure to support social entrepreneurs and mutual understanding and collaboration within Taiwan, focusing on initiating, introducing and disseminating government policy to foster and encourage social innovation in the private sector.
The Government of Taiwan develops funding models that recognise the characteristics of systemic social change. Its funding approach emphasises subsidy, investment, and financing tools to support social innovation.
We are proud to confer the Catalyst 2030 Award on the Government of Taiwan, recognising its tireless efforts to spur collaboration with social innovators.
Visit the Government of Taiwan website
AWARDEE PROFILE: Ministry of Health, Malawi
In recognition of your commitment to promote multi-sectoral collaboration with social entrepreneurs for creating health solutions at scale.
The Malawi Ministry has had a long-term successful collaboration with VillageReach, a social enterprise that aims to transform healthcare delivery to reach everyone. Together with social entrepreneurs, the government has established a health hotline that creates a link between health centres and remote communities. The Ministry believes in multi-sectoral collaboration.
VillageReach has partnered with the Malawi Ministry of Health for more than a decade to develop Chipatala cha pa Foni (known as CCPF or Health Centre by Phone), which started as a community-based hotline in the Balaka district of Malawi. Ministry officials launched the original call for ideas and provided deep support throughout the development and growth of the hotline, which now provides free information on health and nutrition to all Malawians. The Ministry of Health took on key actions to support an eventual transition to government stewardship including: setting up a stakeholder coordinating committee; moving the hotline to a national Ministry of Health compound; integrating the hotline in national health strategies and budgets; negotiating with the private sector to zero-rate calls; hiring nurse hotline operators and supervisors from VillageReach into the national government; and, finally, facilitating a celebration in December 2020 to mark a successful transition to the national government.
For its commitment to collaboration with social entrepreneurs, we are proud to confer upon the Ministry the Catalyst 2030 Award.
Malawi Minister of Health
Visit the Malawi Ministry of Health website
Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has demonstrated innovative use of data and civil engagement to tackle provincial level problems. Additionally, this regional government has directly benefitted the development of the social entrepreneurial ecosystem through support for incubation centres, education and competitions for young change-makers. Despite significant challenges in Pakistan, the government is working hard to cultivate a vibrant, open and citizen-centric approach to governance.
Visit the website
Government of Liberia
Following the Ebola outbreak in 2015, the Liberian Ministry of Health established the first public-private partnerships to improve maternal healthcare. The ministry has collaborated with social entrepreneurs and has stimulated systemic change in the healthcare system. These reforms implemented during the Ebola outbreak have had a positive impact on Liberia’s progress towards attaining the SDGs.
Visit the Government of Liberia website
Ministry of National Unity, Malaysia
The Ministry of National Unity has encouraged support for social entrepreneurs through various funding facilitations led by its Minister, including a yearly budget allocation in the national budget. The Minister’s work has initiated a robust support system for social entrepreneurship that is aligned to the SDGs.
Scottish Government
In 2016 the government of Scotland created a ten-year strategic plan in conjunction with social entrepreneurs. This plan is ambitious and inclusive and promotes close collaboration with social entrepreneurs to achieve shared goals.
Visit the Scottish Government website
South Africa National Government: Presidency
The South African national government, headed by the Presidency, has leveraged the full power of government in building a ‘societal platform’ that tackles youth unemployment holistically and comprehensively. This ranges from using the pulpit of the Presidency to drive action to coordinating effectively across many complex ecosystems and to adopting innovative programmatic and funding approaches.
“As a country we have identified youth employment as one of our foremost priorities – not only because the high rate of unemployment is unacceptable, but also because we need young people to grow our economy. We need to harness their energy, skills and dynamism to meet the challenges of the present and the future.
The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention relies on strong partnerships with organisations like the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, which has pioneered a world-leading model to pathway young people from learning to earning. Through this intervention, we are demonstrating what we can achieve when we work together to design solutions at scale.” – HE President Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa
Visit the South African Presidency website
