Key facts:
- One billion people have no access to
basic healthcare¹, and 6 million children die each year from
preventable causes²
- Simple, proven ways exist to prevent
this but they aren't being financed or scaled
- Portfolio approach is a highly
effective way to ensure large-scale, result-based
improvements
- All client donations will be doubled
by our portfolio partners
- UBS Optimus Foundation plans to
co-fund portfolio
The UBS Optimus Foundation today launches Going Further: a
philanthropic health portfolio, which breaks new ground in the way
we think about financing and delivering large scale,
transformational change for the world's most neglected communities.
The Foundation plans to co-fund the portfolio. In addition, all
donations will be doubled by portfolio partners, increasing the
reach and impact of each donation significantly. And the UBS
Optimus Foundation guarantees that 100% of each donation will go to
portfolio programs because UBS covers all its administrative
costs.
A matter of urgency
The currently fragmented approach to development funding isn't
working. While billions of dollars are spent annually on aid
programs it's estimated that an extra USD 1.4 trillion³ is needed
each year to lift 700 million people out of poverty and neglect by
2030 and meet the world's ambitious new development agenda, the
Sustainable Development Goals. This makes the case for attracting
even greater levels of private capital to augment traditional
funding streams more compelling than ever.
But it's not just about income. Outcomes are equally important.
Despite the resources poured into development aid, the results are
not what we're entitled to expect. Today, children in some areas
are still 20 times more likely to die than in developed countries⁴.
A lack of focus on outcomes means it's often unclear if funds are
being used effectively. Many donors only have access to a single
standalone program. This may fail, and even if it does work the
impact is relatively small. And too many promising programs are
being overlooked and not financed or taken to scale. There's
clearly a need to explore new ways of financing and delivering
change that is concerted, significant and lasting. And that's
exactly what the Going Further portfolio seeks to do.
"The new Going Further portfolio offers UBS clients the
opportunity to support a diverse set of world-renowned partners
with best-in-class, result-focused programs that can drive the
large-scale global change needed to ensure children thrive," said
Sergio P. Ermotti, UBS CEO and Chairman of the UBS Optimus
Foundation Board of Directors.
Ambition and action
Bundling high-quality, result-focused programs designed to
address a specific issue within a portfolio structure gives
programs access to additional funding. This allows the best ideas
to grow faster and reach the maximum possible number of people. And
it allows donors to maximize their immediate and long-term
philanthropic impact while spreading risk.
The advantages of a portfolio approach:
- unique access to a diverse set of
world-renowned partners
- tried and tested programs, combined
with highly promising new programs
- creation of funding pool to help
successful programs grow faster
- increased probability of backing
successful, transformational change
- cross-pollination of best-practice
between programs
- robust, pre-agreed performance
standards to ensure programs stay on track
- reduction in the risk associated with
supporting a single program
- support of a proof-of-concept model to
build momentum for a new, more effective way to finance and deliver
aid
Examples of Going Further portfolio partners
Last Mile Health: In Liberia, Last Mile Health ensures
access to quality primary health services for those living in
remote communities. Its workers are members of the communities they
serve and bring critical health services to the doorsteps of people
living in the some of the world's hardest places to reach.
Living Goods: In many countries people lack access to
quality health and food products. Private markets are unregulated
and erratic, resulting in high prices. And public systems are
under-funded, under-managed, and under-stocked. Through an
‘Avon-like’ approach women in the program are providing access to
much-needed products and information to improve family health. And,
as micro-entrepreneurs, they can also earn a living for themselves
and their families.
We Care Solar: Each year, over a quarter of a million
mothers die of pregnancy-related complications and nearly one
million babies die on the first day of their life, often in health
centers without reliable electricity. The Solar Suitcase is
low-cost and easy to use and captures the sun's energy during the
day to provide a reliable source of electricity at night in health
clinics in poor rural areas. This powers lights, medical and
communication equipment, transforming the chances of survival for
mothers and babies.
mCARE: Millions of newborn babies die each year, many in
poor areas where births usually occur in the home. In rural
Bangladesh, 90% of births occur at home and the neonatal mortality
rate stands at 23 deaths for every 1,000 live births – ten times
greater than in many developed countries. mCare uses simple mobile
phone-based technology to provide pregnant women with information
and link them to a local community health worker and an emergency
neonatal care team. It has increased the number of women accessing
ante-natal services by 260%.
Robust oversight: Detailed reporting from portfolio
partners, regular reviews by the UBS Optimus Foundation's team, and
assessments by external experts will allow continuous measurement
of the impact of portfolio programs. With this clear understanding
of how each program is performing, the UBS Optimus Foundation can
make adjustments where necessary and advise on a course of action
that will ensure the best outcomes for children, their families and
communities.
Notes to Editors
About the UBS Optimus Foundation
We're an award-winning, expert grant-making foundation that
helps UBS clients use their wealth to drive positive, sustainable
social change for children. We connect them with inspiring
entrepreneurs, new technologies, and proven models that bridge a
gap preventing children from surviving and thriving. We select
programs that improve children's health, education and protection,
ones that have the potential to be transformative, scalable and
sustainable. And we guarantee that 100% of all donations go to
support programs that benefit children because UBS covers all our
costs. To find out more about the Going Further portfolio visit
www.ubs.com/optimus-campaign. Follow us on Twitter @UBSOptimus
About UBS
UBS provides financial advice and solutions to wealthy,
institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as private
clients in Switzerland. The operational structure of the Group is
comprised of our Corporate Center and five business divisions:
Wealth Management, Wealth Management Americas, Personal &
Corporate Banking, Asset Management and the Investment Bank. UBS's
strategy builds on the strengths of all of its businesses and
focuses its efforts on areas in which it excels, while seeking to
capitalize on the compelling growth prospects in the businesses and
regions in which it operates, in order to generate attractive and
sustainable returns for its shareholders. All of its businesses are
capital-efficient and benefit from a strong competitive position in
their targeted markets.
UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has
offices in 54 countries, with about 34% of its employees working in
the Americas, 35% in Switzerland, 18% in the rest of Europe, the
Middle East and Africa and 13% in Asia Pacific. UBS Group AG
employs approximately 60,000 people around the world. Its shares
are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE).
Disclaimer: This release was created by UBS Optimus
Foundation and is provided solely for information purposes. It does
not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to
buy any product or other specific service. UBS Optimus Foundation
does not provide investment, legal or tax advice and this document
does not constitute such advice. Certain products and services are
subject to legal restrictions and cannot be offered worldwide on an
unrestricted basis. Although all information and opinions herein
were obtained from sources believed to be reliable and in good
faith, neither representation nor warranty, express or implied, is
made as to their accuracy, completeness or reliability, and they
are subject to change at any time without notice. Neither UBS
Optimus Foundation nor any of its directors, representatives or
agents accepts any liability for any loss or damage arising out of
the use of all or any part of this release. ©UBS 2016. The key
symbol and UBS are among the registered and unregistered trademarks
of UBS. All rights reserved.
¹Source: WHO. Universal Health Coverage: Report by the
Secretariat. January 2013. ² Source: UNICEF. The UN Inter-Agency
Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Levels and trends in child
mortality: report. September 2015. 30 million children in the world
are not immunized against treatable or preventable diseases.
Source: UNICEF. Why are children dying? Available at:
http://www.unicef.org/immunization/index_why.html ³ Investment
needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/151112-SDG-Financing-Needs.pdf
⁴ Source: United Nations World Population Prospects Report.
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MediaMaya Dillon, +1-212-713-3130maya.dillon@ubs.comorIan
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