Medal of Freedom Awards Ceremony Tomorrow

President Obama will present the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 recipients tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12. Three of this year’s awardees were speakers at the World Affairs Council and the Global Philanthropy Forum in 2008: former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Muhammad Yunus.

Read Full Post »

Success for $100 million Omidyar-Tufts Microfinance fund

From a $100 million microfinance fund begun in 2005, Tufts University officials say they are now reaping the benefits.  The fund has been invested solely in microfinance initiatives, and provides economic self-empowerment for the poor along with financial returns for the university.   Just last year, Tufts earned $6.6 million in dividends, money that has “helped [...]

Read Full Post »

Honoring Muhammad Yunus & his Microfinance Movement

Tonight, the World Affairs Council of Northern California honors Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Muhammad Yunus at our 2008 Awards Dinner held at the Ritz Carlton. We celebrate the progress the microfinance industry has made in eradicating global poverty by honoring the roots it as has grown in Northern California. We recognize three [...]

Read Full Post »

Looking Forward: Making Good on our Promises to the Poor

Across all panels in the past two days, and especially this morning, we have seen that technological innovation now arms us with unprecedented opportunities for alleviating poverty. In our final panel for the poverty alleviation track, we heard about the nexus between information and poverty from moderator Sonal Shah, Head [...]

Read Full Post »