Necessary Change

Tatler partnered with the Singapore-based Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) on June 23 to host Accelerating Progress: Women Driving Change, an exclusive dinner that brought together influential female leaders at Saffron inside the private members' club Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy's (HKGTA) Town Club in Central.

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The event addressed the critical financing gaps in gender equality across Asia-Pacific and was centred on AVPN's inaugural Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) Index and Gender Financing Landscape Report, the first comprehensive analysis of gender equality financing across 17 economies in Asia-Pacific. The Index, created by AVPN, focuses on SDG 5: Gender Equality, which is one of the 17 sustainable development goals established by the United Nations. The index revealed a stark US$586 billion annual shortfall in funding needed to achieve substantive gender equality across the markets in the report. Tristan Ace, chief engagement officer of AVPN, presented these findings to an audience of philanthropists, impact investors and changemakers.

AVPN, Asia's largest network of social investors, with over 600 members across 34 markets, has been bringing people together to spark smarter, more collaborative ways to drive social impact since 2011. Under CEO Naina Subberwal Batra's leadership since 2013, the organisation has expanded its membership fourfold and evolved from focusing solely on venture philanthropy to supporting an ecosystem of social investors.