USD 2,500 | Applications Deadline: 23 September | Limited Slots
Join the first AVPA-UNDP SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates to gain practical skills in managing for impact
Join the first AVPA-UNDP SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates to gain practical skills in managing for impact. The training programme guides participants through the SDG Impact Standards a global framework and management approach that helps enterprises integrate impact, sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into business decisions and practices.
Join the training to learn how to: Move beyond ESG to Sustainability, Move beyond measurement to Managing for Impact and Apply Sustainability Frameworks and SDG Impact Standards.
About the Training Programme
AVPA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, are delivering the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates to enable the African private sector to contribute to the SDGs while future-proofing their business to a changing world. It does so by making it easier for organizations to re-shape their internal management practices to put impact and sustainability at the core of strategy, management approach, governance, and transparency practices.
Training Programme Criteria
The first cohort of the training programme focuses on corporates with current operations in sub-Saharan Africa (in one or several markets) with a demonstrated interest in reducing negative impact and creating positive impact for people and the planet. The training programme targets managerial and technical-level representatives from organisations with decision making power to integrate sustainability into the core of their organisations’ strategy, management approach, transparency, and governance. Organisations are encouraged to join the training with multiple representatives with responsibilities across these themes.
Applicants are recommended to familiarise themselves with the SDG Impact Standards ahead of the training programme: watch the introductory videos, read the About the SDG Impact Standards publication and study the SDG Impact Standards for Enterprises. Participants will also benefit from going through the Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs online course. Please register your interest by filling out this form. Applications close on 23 September 2022. The training programme costs USD 2,500 per participant to be paid in full upon acceptance to the programme.
The virtual training runs over nine weekly sessions of 2-3 hours each between 6 October and 1 December 2022. It targets African sustainability champions moving the needle on the SDGs. If you have a passion for using the power of business to generate positive economic, social and environmental value – then this training programme is for you.
The training programme is based on UNDP SDG Impact Standards, which provide a universal framework and management approach that integrates impact on the SDGs into business and investment decisions. It targets African sustainability champions and offers a platform for exchange with like-minded enterprises to grow a network of industry leaders committed to moving from seeing the SDGs as an add on to what business gets done to how all business gets done.
Benefits
Be part of Africa’s first cohort of corporate sustainability champions:
Exchange experiences and build a community of practice among African enterprises seeking to be sustainable, resilient and prosperous for the long-term through interactive training sessions and follow up engagement opportunities.
Understand what it takes to implement the UNDP SDG Impact Standards:
Familiarise yourself with the roadmap to implementing the SDG Impact Standards – the global best practices for operating sustainably and contributing to the SDGs.
Gain practical skills in managing for impact:
Improve present and future disclosure and reporting requirements by learning how to integrate sustainability at the core of decision-making practices.
Training Programme Agenda
The Leadership Programme will comprise ten, 90-minute sessions that follow two tracks:
The training programme uses the four interconnected themes of strategy, management approach, transparency and governance as the guide to fully integrating sustainability and contributing positively to the SDGs in organisational systems and decision-making.
Introduction & Managing for Impact: Focuses on the technical skills needed to measure and manage impacts. Based on the Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs online course, it provides the technical foundation for using the SDG Impact Standards and integrating sustainability and the SDGs into internal management systems and decision-making.
Defining Impact Strategy: Offers an introduction to strategy and how to draft a statement of intent and committing to operating sustainably and making a positive contribution to the SDGs and understanding the sustainability context. It helps to map current and future potential material impacts, draft a corporate strategy statement that embeds impact into vision and mission, set high level impact goals, and keep the strategy current and fit to purpose.
Deploying Impact to Management: Offers an introduction to management and how to align internal culture and management systems with impact-integrated purpose and strategy and developing methodology and systems to effectively measure impacts and integrate into business decision-making. It helps to assess and compare material impacts over time, and generating and choosing options for increasing impact, and embed continuous improvement of responsible business and impact management practices.
Bringing it all Together: Transparency and Governance: Offers an introduction to transparency and helps starting to plan how to cascade the learning and start to embed the new way into all business and functional processes, integrating responsible business and impact management practices into governance framework, and leading by example.
High-Level SDG Impact Self-Assessment Tool & Planning for a Roadmap: Helps to plan a roadmap for the SDG Impact Standards through conducting an initial self-assessment and preparing for defining and implementing an improvement plan. It also presents next steps and additional support on using the SDG Impact Standard “product” or “approach” on an ongoing basis.
Experts
David Mueller
Supporting Trainer
SDG Investor Map Specialist: Africa UNDP
expertICon
Sara Lisa Ørstavik
Supporting Trainer
SDG Impact Specialist UNDP
expertICon
Belissa Rojas
Lead Trainer
IMM Advisor UNDP
expertICon
Participants: Funders
Participants: Social Entrepreneurs
Frequently Asked Questions
For which asset classes are the SDG Impact Standards available and how can I use them after the training programme?
The SDG Impact Standards are available for enterprises, bond issuers and private equity funds, as well as development finance institutions through a collaboration with OECD. Organisations can undertake a self-assessment to identify gaps in embedding sustainable management into their operations and prioritize actions for continuous improvement over time, for which UNDP provides a tool and guiding material.
The upcoming SDG Impact Assurance Framework and SDG Impact Seal will recognize adopters of the SDG Impact Standards who are more likely to be contributing positively to sustainability. This will enable the market to compare and authenticate the scale of impact, size of environmental or social goal investors are trying to achieve.
What are the SDG Impact Standards?
As the only management standards in the market that embed sustainability at the core of an organization holistically, the SDG Impact Standards guide the private sector to make management decisions to optimize interrelated economic, social and environmental impacts.
Developed as a public good by UNDP, the SDG Impact Standards provide a unified management approach to the advancement of sustainability and the SDGs amongst businesses, investors and policy makers across the interconnected themes of strategy, management approach, transparency and governance. As such, the SDG Impact Standards are an organizing framework to help make sense of the crowded landscape of frameworks and tools available. They have been designed to be consistent with existing high-level principles, such as the IFC’s Operating Principles for Impact Management or the Principles for Responsible Investment, fill gaps in current market approaches that are undermining efforts to achieve sustainability and the SDGs, embed core decision making frameworks, and enable users to select the most appropriate impact management and external disclosure tools to suit their needs and context, such as from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the Global Impact Investing Network’s (GIIN) IRIS+.
Is the number of participants in the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates limited and will there be future cohorts?
The training programme is limited to a maximum of 25 participants to provide an interactive learning environment. Additional cohorts are in planning for 2023.
What are the criteria to participate in the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates?
Participants in the training programme are required to meet the following criteria:
Registered enterprise with current operations across Sub-Saharan Africa and a demonstrated interest in reducing negative impact and creating positive impact for people and planet.
Conduct the Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs online course available at http://immforsdgs.com.
Review of SDG Impact Standards and especially the 12 Business Actions available at https://sdgimpact.undp.org/practice-standards.html.
Completion of pre-reading on human rights, SDGs, Women Empowerment Principles, UN Global Compact Ten Principles, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and other foundational topics to be shared with registered participants.
What is the curriculum of the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates?
As hands-on sessions focused on the practical aspects and in-depth concepts of effective IMM practices, the training programme guides a select number of practitioners and industry leaders through the steps required to integrate sustainability into decision making, using the SDG Impact Standards. The training programme covers the following content:
Introduction & Managing for Impact:
Impact Measurement & Management for the SDGs: The essentials of IMM practices based on the Coursera course developed by UNDP in partnership with CASE at Duke University
Integrating sustainability and the SDGs into internal management systems and decision-making through the SDG Impact Standards
Defining Impact Strategy:
Introduction to strategy
Drafting a statement of intent and committing to operating sustainably and making a positive contribution to the SDGs
Understanding the sustainability context
Mapping current and future potential material impacts
Drafting a corporate strategy statement that embeds impact into vision and mission
Setting high level impact goals
Keeping the strategy current and fit to purpose
Deploying Impact to Management:
Introduction to management
Aligning internal culture and management systems with impact-integrated purpose and strategy
Developing methodology and systems to effectively measure impacts and integrate into business decision-making
Assessing and comparing material impacts over time, and generating and choosing options for increasing impact
Embedding continuous improvement of responsible business and impact management practices
Bringing it all Together: Transparency and Governance:
Introduction to transparency
Starting to plan how to cascade the learning and start to embed the new way into all business and functional processes
Integrating responsible business and impact management practices into governance framework
Leading by example
High-Level SDG Impact Self-Assessment Tool & Planning for a Roadmap:
Planning a roadmap for the SDG Impact Standards through conducting an initial self-assessment and preparing for defining and implementing an improvement plan
Presenting next steps and additional support on using the SDG Impact Standard “product” or “approach” on an ongoing basis
Are there any introduction sessions to learn more about IMM and the SDG Impact Standards before committing to the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates Programme?
Yes, AVPA and UNDP conducted two sensitization webinars on 20 July 2022 and 3 August 2022 at 4 pm East Africa Time (EAT) to provide an overview of the current impact measurement and management landscape and educate key stakeholders on the SDG Impact Standards and how they can be used to move from thinking about the SDGs as an add-on to what business gets done to how all business gets done. The webinar recordings can be accessed here and here.
When does the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates take place?
The training programme starts on 6 October 2022. 9 weekly sessions of 2-4 hours each extend over the months of October and November 2022.
Who are the organisers of the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates?
The training programme is a partnership between African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), which has identified a systemic gap in the market around effective IMM practices that go beyond reporting and recognize the business case for the SDGs among African stakeholders, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its African Sustainable Finance Hub (ASFH) and the flagship initiative SDG Impact that developed the SDG Impact Standards.
Do I get a refund if I cannot complete the full SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates?
Cancellation of the registration 30 days prior to the start of the training programme is entitled to a full refund. No refunds will be provided for cancellations made less than 30 days prior to the start of the training programme or after the training has started.
What happens if I am unable to complete the full SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates Programme?
To make the most of your impact measurement and management journey, we strongly encourage all participants to commit to the full training programme. Please save the dates, set aside sufficient time to attend the tutorials and discussions, and complete the required readings and assignments.
Failure to do so may result in an incompletion of the training programme and disqualify you from receiving the certification.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion of the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates Programme?
Upon successful completion of the training programme, participants will receive a certificate of completion jointly from AVPA and UNDP. In order to qualify to receive a certificate, you must attend at least 80% of the sessions and complete the course work.
How much does it cost to participate in the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates Programme?
The training programme costs USD 2500 to be paid in full upon acceptance. This fee covers the nine sessions of the training programme and provides participants with full access to highly-curated course materials and connections to leading practitioners.
What is the application deadline for the SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates Programme?
Registration will close on 26th August 2022. As applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, we encourage you to apply for the training programme as early as possible.
How may I apply for the AVPA-UNDP SDG Impact Standards User Training for African Corporates Programme for Enterprises?
Please submit your applications by filling out this form and ensure you provide all required information accurately and completely. A committee will review all the applications and inform all applicants of the decision via email. Should the committee have any questions, an AVPA or UNDP representative will reach out to you.
Whom do I contact if I have questions about the Managing for Impact Training Programme?
Please reach out to Nancy Kairo, East Africa Director, and Member Services, at info@avpa.africa.
