Distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues, and friends,

A very good morning!

It is a true honour to return to the Asia Philanthropy Forum, this year in Bo'ao, Hainan, under the inspiring theme of “Open Collaboration, Innovative Development.”  

I had the privilege of joining many of you at this forum last year, where we discussed the urgent need for collective action to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - our global blueprint to protect people and the planet - and the unique role philanthropy plays in this journey. 

This year, the challenges before us are greater than ever, especially with a continued rapid decline in official development assistance to developing countries.

The UN’s 2025 SDGs Report shows that only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half are moving too slowly, and, alarmingly, 18 percent are regressing.

At the current pace, nearly 500 million people could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030.  

The reality we are facing is that in recent years, the development financing gap has increased, largely attributed to the devastating impact of climate change, continued global conflicts, and the lingering economic effects of the pandemic – all eliminating decades of development progress.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our global future hinges on our ability to achieve the SDGs.

Speed and scale, as well as true inclusion and empowerment of communities, are key to realising the 2030 Agenda. Changing this trajectory will require accelerated actions and enhanced ambition from all sectors.

One thing is clear - the way forward can no longer be limited to siloed or stand-alone philanthropic initiatives. Only a collective force, rapidly building synergies and collaborations can bridge the SDG financing gap.

That is what makes this Forum such an excellent platform and opportunity. Sharing best practices, lessons and insights can build the bridges and networks needed to raise ambitions for greater development impact.

SDG-aligned collaborations will not only increase efficiency but also enable each organisation to jointly co-create and leverage comparative assets and skills to develop the next generation of innovative and systemic integrated solutions for an ever increasingly complex world.

Such collaborations can provide positive benefits for everyone through five dimensions.

1. By jointly pooling financial resources, technical expertise and human capital, we can realize larger and more impactful projects that would be unattainable individually. Larger pools can attract other investments from the public and private sectors, and this blended finance model can create a significant multiplier effect.
2. Enhanced Innovation and Knowledge Sharing: Collaborations can foster a shared learning environment, facilitate the exchange of diverse perspectives, lessons learned, and best practices among partners, promoting creativity and the development of new, more effective solutions to complex, interconnected problems like climate change or public health crises.
3. Increased Scale and Reach: Collaborative efforts can scale up successful projects and initiatives more quickly by leveraging the combined capacity and networks of multiple partners. This expanded reach allows us to engage a broader group of beneficiaries and serve communities that might be limited by individual efforts and funds.
4. Shared Risk and Longer-Term Commitment: Collaborative environments favour experimentation -  innovative ideas have a greater tolerance for failure when the risk is shared among partners. This allows for the kind of long-term investments required for cutting-edge, transformative change that would otherwise take decades to achieve.
5. Greater Efficiency and Reduced Duplication: Partnerships help optimize resource allocation, avoid the duplication of efforts, and reduce administrative costs through shared services and infrastructure. This ensures a more efficient deployment of limited resources for maximum impact.