Over the past months, the alliance between the WBCSD and the Netherlands Development Organization SNV has convened high-level dialogues in eight target countries, bringing together Latin American business executives with selected leaders from the public and civil society sectors to explore sustainable business opportunities that are good business and benefit low-income communities.

Raising awareness, generating ideas

The events in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala have been organized jointly with the WBCSD's Regional Network partner in each country and have benefited greatly from the well-established network and outreach of these organizations.

The meetings have discussed the mutual opportunities for business and society in targeting the low-income segment as part of the business model, with much of the time focused on identifying more such opportunities between the representatives present.

The gatherings have generated over 50 business ideas that fulfill the criteria of being both good business and benefiting the low-income segment - termed egocios inclusivos?in Spanish, or inclusive business.

Seven ideas are currently being actively pursued by the Alliance in the form of feasibility studies: low-cost housing, low-cost irrigation systems, biofuels, industrial parks, agroindustrial parks, competitive alpaca wool and coffee.

During this initial process, the Alliance has worked directly with over 400 business leaders and cross sector stakeholders to identify the inclusive business strategies that can really make a difference on the ground.

The WBCSD, its Regional Network partners and SNV will continue to support companies in designing inclusive business models, facilitating the creation of partnerships, and assisting in the brokering of financial, social and technological resources.

Business facilitators are now in place in Honduras and Ecuador, and will soon also be in Peru, to work at the grassroots level. There have also been preliminary discussions with potential funding partners, such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the Andean Development Corporation.

Background on the WBCSD-SNV Alliance

Spurred by the wish to explore the potential of sustainable business opportunities that are good business and benefit low-income communities, the WBCSD and the Netherlands Development Organization SNV created an Alliance in March 2006 to work together to address sustainable poverty alleviation through private sector involvement.

In collaboration with the WBCSD's Regional Network partners and SNV's representatives, the initial phase of the Alliance is focusing on eight Latin American countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru).

The WBCSD and SNV are looking at how best to include the low-income segment of society in every stage of the value chain ?from supply and production to distribution and marketing, and also goods and services. This approach not only generates new jobs and income, but also makes products and services available and affordable to the low-income segment.