Building Back Greener: Addressing Climate Change in Asia

Climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly impacting our society and have highlighted the necessity for collective action by individuals, governments, and the private sector. However, in a region where most economies are still emerging, striking a balance between ambitious environmental efforts and development goals adds a layer of complexity.

This report examines the ways in which Asian private capital—from corporations, investors and philanthropists—is being brought to bear on environmental challenges. Drawing insights from interviews with 163 individuals and experts from companies, foundations, and nonprofits across 10 Asian economies (Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand) we look at what actions local companies and organizations are taking to adapt to and mitigate environmental challenges. It provides unique Asian perspectives on climate action and offers recommendations for public and private sectors.

The report identifies four characteristics of the ways in which funders push resources towards environmental challenges, identifies the challenges companies and organizations face when doing so and presents recommendations and next steps for funders in this space.

India Philanthropy Report

Bain & Company and Dasra

The India Philanthropy Report series showcases the state of giving towards the social sector in India. It highlights the growing contribution of family foundations, which has remained resilient during the pandemic, while other sources of private sector funding have stagnated. However, the social sector remains underserved, with annual funding shortfalls compounded by the addition of pandemic-induced demands.

2023 edition
In its 13th edition, India Philanthropy Report 2023, co-created by Bain & Company and Dasra, focuses on the different funder archetypes – CSR, Retail Givers, UHNIs, HNI & Affluent Givers, their deeply correlated roles, factors and barriers influencing different cohorts of givers and actionable insights into specific enablers that can make philanthropy more effective. Read it here.

2022 edition
The report notes that as India advances towards growth and transformation, an opportunity exists to invest in and support different funder groups across CSR, family philanthropy and retail giving. Read it here.

2021 edition
The report estimates that if India’s ultra-high-net-worth families increase their giving in line with global peers (i.e., they give 2-3% of their wealth), family philanthropic funding would increase five-fold. Read it here.

Corporate Philanthropy in Pakistan

Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP)

These reports examine the philanthropic contributions toward social development by the corporate sector in Pakistan.

Pakistan Giving Index

Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy

The Pakistan Giving Index by the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy examines the scope and nature of giving in Pakistan. Inspired by the methodology of the CAF World Giving Index, the study looks at different aspects of giving behavior, whether people are giving to charity and to whom they gave, their motivations for giving and the perceived impact of their contributions. Key findings include the need for charities and non-profit organizations to effectively communicate their work and their impact to win the trust of the public. Read it here.

Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar: A Citizen-First Approach

Rohini Nilekani

Indian philanthropist Rohini Nilekani highlights an urgent need to shift the thinking of our role in cultivating an equitable and resilient society in her new book, Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar: A Citizen-First Approach. The book compiles 15 years of her writings on the three sectors: society, state and markets. Nilekani invites “thinkers, researchers, writers, civic leaders, and all citizens to join the important public discourse” and argues for the restoration of society as the foundational sector. Read it here.

Charles Chen 陈一丹 (China)
Title
创办人 Founder
Organization
腾讯 Tencent、腾讯基金会 Tencent Charity Foundation、一丹奖 Yidan Prize、武汉学院 Wuhan College
Country
中国 China

Published date: 13 July 2022

曾两年连续以巨额现金捐赠被列为中国首善的腾讯创始人之一陈一丹,2013 年从腾讯首席行政官卸任后,以公益慈善和教育为志业。2022 5 月,CAPS 联合创始人兼主席陈启宗与陈一丹进行了一次线上对话,希望了解他多年投身公益慈善事业的心得以及他对促进教育事业发展的理解。

Tencent founder Charles CHEN Yidan is recognized as one of China’s most charitable men. Since stepping down from his role as Tencent’s Chief Administrative Officer in 2013, he has been pursuing his goal of supporting education through a variety of philanthropic initiatives. In May 2022, CAPS Co-Founder and Chairman Ronnie C. Chan had a conversation with Charles to learn about his philanthropy and his understanding of how to promote education development. 

陈启宗:我是亚洲公益事业研究中心(CAPS)的主席,非常欢迎陈一丹先生今天和我们交流。本次交流目的是用于 CAPS 正在开展的一项聚焦中国大陆地区的研究报告《中国社会公益慈善指南》。今天非常荣幸请到腾讯主要创始人之一陈一丹博士接受访谈。我们知道,一丹几年前退休后,基本上所有时间都放在慈善事业上。我想先问一丹,你们这一代人很有意思,很多都是出生时并不富裕,但却又成了世界最成功的企业家、创始人之一。关于财富,你怎么看?用来干什么?

Ronnie C. Chan: I am the Chairman of CAPS, and I am very pleased to welcome Mr. Charles CHEN Yidan to speak with us today. The purpose of today’s interview is for an ongoing CAPS study focused on mainland China, the China Issue Guide series. Today we are honored to interview Mr. Chen Yidan, one of the core founders of Tencent. We know that Mr. Chen retired a few years ago and now spends all of his time on philanthropy. I’d like to start by asking, it’s interesting that many of your generation were not born wealthy, yet have become some of the most successful entrepreneurs and founders in the world. What do you think of the wealth you have generated?

陈一丹:谢谢 Ronnie。应该说我们是随着改革开放成长起来的一代,不管是城市还是农村长大,基本上都是小康之家。所以温饱问题或是从家里获得的安全感和成长性都是比较好的。而这个过程中,虽然国家原来经济发展较薄弱,但在我们成长过程中,一直是蒸蒸日上的趋势。从我们小学、初中到大学,再走向工作,很幸运是在一个改革开放的时代,经济的不断增长和各种机遇涌现,再加上我们从事的互联网行业更是和世界接轨,促使我们不断在学习、在成长,也就造就了我们这一代人。

至于怎么看钱财,可能就是一个为社会做点事的机会。人跟社会的联动,只要对社会有利的,都会变成一种正向循环。我是深圳长大的,从小从港澳和内地电视上都能看到东华三院向内地的水灾捐资募款,而且无论是企业家还是市民都会去捐助,这样的熏陶和传承是很重要的。用中国文化传统来讲,叫做积善之家必有余庆;或者从佛家观点来讲,利,如果是去财布施,或是法布施,甚至无畏布施,这都是根植在人的本性里的

Charles CHEN Yidan: Thank you, Ronnie. We are the generation that grew up during the period of Reform and Opening-up, so whether we grew up in the city or in the countryside, we were basically well provided. We had sufficient food and clothing as well as a sense of security, it was all going well for us. Several decades ago, although the country’s economic development was relatively weak, we saw development and prosperity improve day by day. We were lucky that we were situated in this era of reform, all the way from school to work. The roaring economy, the many opportunities, and the fact that we were in the internet business connected us with the rest of the world. All these allowed us to keep learning and growing. This is how our generation was minted.

As for my perspective on money, it provides an opportunity to do something for society. People’s positive actions beget a cycle of positivity in the society. I grew up in Shenzhen [Special Economic Zone] and witnessed how the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals donated to disaster relief in the flooded areas of  China at a young age. Everyone, entrepreneurs and citizens, would donate and help. This legacy is very important. In the Chinese cultural tradition, good deeds will be rewarded. Or from the Buddhist point of view, whether it’s a gift of material things, a gift of the dharma (truth), or even a gift of fearlessness, those are all rooted in human nature.

陈启宗:那你为什么做慈善?这么多年做慈善有哪些心得可以和我们分享?

Ronnie C. Chan: So why philanthropy? What have been the biggest learnings you have had personally from it?

陈一丹:慈善理念是中国传统文化的根基。我认为每个人心中都有一颗种子,只要做一些力所能及的事就好,心都是一样的。对我来说,做慈善是一个很自然的事情。很幸运这些年我能够专注做公益慈善。

在腾讯最初成立时,2007 年我参与发起互联网企业第一家慈善基金,一晃也十几年了。在这个实践探索中,我有三个点可以分享:第一,社会痛点是公益慈善的起点。你如果去观察公益行业,其实痛点不少,我的想法是把问题看成是有待解决的需求,问题即需求。这其实跟中医一样,痛则不通,通则不痛。

第二,要借助科技和公益平台的建设来驱动公益行业的发展。经过这么多年发展,人人公益已经实现了。那么接下来就是加强其透明度建设和多方参与,让公益生态更加健康——这是我们持续在做的事情,也是行业的共识。

第三,我们做公益慈善实际上还须求根求本。要看到问题背后的形成因素是什么,要解决的问题是什么,要深刻去理解问题。那么在公益的实践中,我慢慢意识到,无论你是问题土壤的改善、推动技术的发展、培育人心的向善,最终还是回到人身上。所以我就比较关注教育,因为归根结底都是人的问题。

Charles CHEN Yidan: The concept of charity is rooted in traditional Chinese culture. I think the seed of charity is planted in everyone’s heart. We just do what we can. For me, doing charity is a very natural thing. Luckily these years I could focus on doing charity full-time.

More than a decade ago, I participated in launching the first charity fund for Chinese internet companies in 2007. From this experience, I have three points to share: First, social pain points are the starting point of philanthropy. The social sector has many pain points, my idea is to see problems as needs to be solved. Similar to Chinese medicine practitioners when they say, Tong Ze Bu Tong, Tong Ze Bu Tong.[1]

Secondly, the development of philanthropy can utilize the development of technology and social giving platforms. After so many years of hard work, everyone can now participate in giving. The next step is to strengthen transparency and multi-stakeholder participation to foster a robust philanthropic ecology—this is what we are doing continuously and is also the consensus of the sector.

Third, doing philanthropy is actually about addressing the root of the problem. We need to understand the root cause in order to fundamentally solve the issue. Through philanthropy, I gradually realized that whether you are improving conditions around the problem, promoting the development of technology, or cultivating the goodness of people, it ultimately comes back to people. And education is all about people.

陈启宗:在聊你个人公益事业前,我想聊一下腾讯。你们发起基金会是 2007 年,当时腾讯成立不到 10 年,也不是规模最大的时候,你们几位主要创始人当时是经过怎样的考虑决定成立基金会的?

Ronnie C. Chan: Before we talk more about your philanthropy, I’d like to talk about Tencent. You launched Tencent Foundation 2007 when Tencent was less than 10 years old, why did Tencent choose to launch this philanthropic arm at that time?

陈一丹:我们 2004 年上市之后,有全面地去看这家企业的发展,而公益慈善是其中的一个方面。到了 2006 、2007 年,内地对于私人参与公益慈善的环境逐渐向好,加上我们也在思考如何创造机会回馈社会和用户,同时作为上市企业履行社会责任,于是我们几个很快就达成共识,董事会也都非常赞同,觉得这是一个走长远的企业应该去做的。

当时我们的设想是,把公益事业当成一个专业的事情来做,并且把每年公司一部分利润拨到基金会,形成长期机制。过程中,我们也获得了很多学习机会,一个是在内地不断申请成立基金会,成为第一家互联网企业基金会;第二个是学习海内外建立慈善组织的能力和经验。不过当时最重要的考虑还是跟自身企业能力跟有效资源的结合,发挥腾讯最重要的力量。我们想,既然腾讯是一家互联网公司,那就要建立一个面向公众的腾讯公益平台。

随着腾讯公益平台的发展,我们看到公众捐款开始达到 一亿、十亿、几十亿。但其实我看重的并不是捐款数额,而是这个数字背后的人群。让网友成为公益的主角,是非常重要的。因为单个人的影响力是非常有限的,如果能让更多人捐款,带动的不仅仅是捐赠额的提升,还有对公益项目的关注、监督。我看重的是这个层级的参与度和影响力以及人人参与的公益生态。

Charles CHEN Yidan: After Tencent went public in 2004, we did a comprehensive review of the development of the company. Philanthropy was one of the aspects. At the time (in 2006 and 2007), we questioned how we could create opportunities to give back to the community, as well as to fulfill our social responsibility as a listed company. Together with the Board of Directors we agreed that [establishment of Tencent Foundation] was something a long-term enterprise should do.

At first, our vision was simply to allocate a portion of the company’s profits to the foundation annually to form a long-term mechanism. During the process, we learned a lot. One was how to establish a foundation in China and become the first corporate foundation in the internet sector. Second was to learn about establishing charitable organizations at home and abroad. I must say, at the time, the leading consideration was to ensure we could align and utilize Tencent’s strengths. Therefore, as an internet company, naturally we established a public-facing Tencent charity platform.

We saw the growth of public donations reach RMB100 million, RMB 1 billion, and then dozens of billion, as Tencent’s charity platform matured. I truly value the number of people involved in social giving, more than the donation amount itself. Empowering internet users to become the protagonists of philanthropy is crucial. The influence of a single person is extremely limited, but collectively we can increase the donation amount as well as raising awareness of social issues and governance of philanthropic projects. What I value is how everyone at all levels can participate in philanthropy and the sheer influence of this level of participation.

陈启宗:非常好,难怪你被称为互联网公益的教父,实至名归。在你退休之前,能够把这样的理念注入到腾讯企业里面,非常值得尊敬。在你成立个人基金会前,你实际上已经开展许多公益事业,比如说你举办了武汉学院。但你也不是什么都捐,你主要关注教育领域。能否讲讲你为什么关注教育?你希望为社会解决什么问题?

Ronnie C. Chan: Excellent. No wonder you, deservingly, are known as the ‘Father of Internet Philanthropy’. It’s very respectable that you were able to inject such a philosophy into Tencent before you retired. Before you set up your personal foundation, you were involved in many philanthropic undertakings, for example, you founded Wuhan College. Why focus on education? What problems do you hope to solve for the society?

陈一丹:关注教育有理性的原因,也有感性的原因。感性的原因和自己从小生长环境有关,我们都是得益于教育而成长起来的。教育对我们的影响实在是太大了。我的祖母是一个文盲,但她独立把我父亲抚养成了村里的第一个大学生。大家经常说教育会带来命运的改变或是物质生活的改变,这是实实在在存在的。但是家庭教育对于一个人对幸福、对价值观的影响,是无限的。我的祖母 98 岁去世的,但每次想起她,我总觉得很有力量。

从理性层面来说,教育是一个很复杂的体系,成分很多,无论是家长、学生、政策制定者等,关乎太多人了,而如此复杂、重要又慢的体系更需要花更多的精力和理解去投入。所以,如果看到跟教育有相关的项目,我自己就会产生一定的联结,想去了解、看看有没有能力去推动、支持。有些事情是顺势而为的、有缘分就去做的,有些是主动去思考、探索的。武汉学院就是一个有缘分的事情,当时我记得他们说了一句话:你大学也可以做公益,就是这句话燃起了我的兴趣,让我想起了民国的先辈们投身到大学教育的历程。退休后,我也在这个项目上,包括从独立学院转为民办大学的过程,投入了大量精力。虽然是因缘际会,但有了武汉学院的探索之后,我后面也非常愿意支持起步定位在培养博士生的西湖大学。

另一种是主动去做的,比如一丹奖,旨在鼓励倡导人类对宇宙和人生的领悟和贡献,而它的落脚点就是教育。要想推动全球教育事业的发展,这个教育成果就必须是共享的,要有可复制性。为了建立一个好的运作机制,我们设立了全球顾问委员会,最后定的标准是:远见性、创新性、变革性和有效性。

Charles CHEN Yidan: [For me] there are both rational and emotional reasons to care about education. Emotionally, it has to do with the environment we grew up in: we all benefitted from education. My grandmother was illiterate. She was able to independently raise my father to be our village’s first college student. As one says, education can change one’s destiny or bring a change in the standard of living. The impact of family education on a person’s happiness and values is infinite. My grandmother died at the age of 98, but every time I think of her, I always feel empowered by her unconditional love.

On a rational level, education is a very complex system, involving parents, students, policy makers, and more. The complexity of this important yet slow-moving system requires one to invest more effort and time into it. Therefore, I am always looking for ways to support educational projects. Some things are done by coincidence, while some are actively thought and explored by me. Wuhan College was more like the former. Philanthropic giving for higher education ignited my interest and reminded me of China’s forefathers and their commitments to university education. After I retired, I continued to invest a lot of energy in this project, including the process of [helping Wuhan College] move from being an independent college to a private university. After the experience with Wuhan College, I was very willing to support the founding of West Lake University as well.

The other kind [of philanthropy] is the one I take the initiative to do so, such as the Yidan Prize. My intention is to encourage the advocacy of human understanding and contribution, and that begins with education. To advance the cause of global education, it must be based on outcomes that are sharable and replicable. To recognize the outstanding educational contributions of individuals, we set up a globally representative Advisory Committee to discuss the criteria that adhere to four main pillars: future-oriented, innovative, transformative, and sustainable.

陈启宗:如果你能回到起点,重来一次你会有什么事跟过去八年做的不一样的?还是你认为过去八年走的还是比较正确的?还有,你下一步打算怎么走?

Ronnie C. Chan: If you could go back to the beginning and do it all over again, what would you do differently? Or do you think the last eight years have mostly gone well? And where do you plan to go next?

陈一丹:凡是发生过的,我觉得都是感恩的,不太会回头看,也不会想去改变它。因为当时的决定都是基于当时的能力水平、资源和向往做出来的决定。所以只要心不是坏的,我觉得都不会有什么希望回头去改变的事情。

如果要谈继续往前走,我认为还是要继续把精力和资源投入在机制的建设上,让这个机制发挥最大的贡献度和作用。我认为只要在持续做的过程中对这个事情有所推动,就是成长,我是这样的一个心态,不是一定要什么结果。

Charles CHEN Yidan: I am grateful for everything , so I don’t really look back or want to change it. Because the decisions made at that time were based on the level of ability, resources, and aspirations. They were done with good intent so I don’t have any desire to change anything.

Moving forward, I think we still have to continue to put our energy and resources into the construction of the mechanism to maximize its impact and sustainability. My ethos is, as long as [we are] consistent and persistent in promoting causes we care about then we grow [as a society], it is not always about the specific outcomes.

陈启宗:我认识一丹那么多年,我觉得他的心态绝佳,他对自己、对家庭、对社会、对国家、对人类都有他自己相当有智慧的一种看法。我觉得一丹你不只是商业上非常的成功,在慈善事业上,特别是在教育这个领域里,确实做了极大的贡献,我们亚洲公益事业研究中心也期望你继续成功。再次感谢陈一丹先生接受我们的访谈,把他在公益事业上面的心路历程跟我们分享,相信会对后来的人起到非常正面的作用,谢谢一丹!

Ronnie C. Chan: I have known Charles for so many years, he has an excellent mentality, and a wise view of himself, his family, his society, his country, and humanity. He is not only very successful in business, but also in philanthropy, especially in the field of education, and we at CAPS look forward to your continued success. Once again, thank you, for speaking with us and sharing your journey in philanthropy with us, which I believe will have a very positive effect on people who come after you.

 

[1] This is an expression derived from a concept in traditional Chinese medicine, “Pain comes and goes with obstruction” (literal translation), describing the relationship between pain points and healing through the flow of Qi and blood. This might be thought of as, “pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”

A Baseline Research for “Win-Win for Vietnam” Project

Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD)

Companies in Vietnam are increasingly integrating social and environmental considerations into their business development strategy, according to this report by MSD Vietnam. Approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) are becoming more professional, with responsibilities taken on within the high-level leadership of the business. However, many companies still find evaluating the impact challenging. The report also explores the willingness of companies to collaborate with civil society organizations (CSOs). Barriers to collaboration and some potential solutions are discussed at length. A key recommendation of the report is for greater networking between businesses and CSOs in order to build communication and capacity to create shared value. Read it here.

Operational Funding: Why it matters now more than ever

The importance of operational funding for the growth and development of Hong Kong’s social sector cannot be overstated. While social delivery organizations (SDOs) need to ensure transparency and accountability in how funding is spent, funders must consider the needs of the SDOs they are supporting, beyond project funding alone.

Operational funding allows funders to support the overall mission and vision of the SDO by helping cover the crucial costs associated with keeping an organization going, including overheads, staff salaries and training, technology upgrades, facilities, and other administrative expenses. Operational funding also provides SDOs with stability and flexibility and allows them to plan for the future.

This report identifies the demands and flows of operational support for SDOs in Hong Kong. Findings reveal the essential role of operational funding in ensuring the health and wellbeing of Hong Kong’s social sector.

What Chinese-style corporate philanthropy can teach multinationals

Nikkei Asia

China’s call for “common prosperity” highlights the opportunities and challenges for China-savvy multinationals to combine profit with purpose. CAPS’ CEO Dr. Ruth Shapiro, Research Manager Vincent Cheng, and Research Manager (China) Angel Chiang spotlight the cross-border lessons that can be learned from mixing business and social objectives. Read here. 

Philanthropy with Chinese characteristics: through the lens of health

Alliance Magazine

While China has achieved momentous success in expanding its economy and generating wealth over the last decade, this has come at an environmental cost. Drawing upon the insights of CAPS’ latest China Issue Guide Series, our Chief Executive Ruth Shapiro and Research Manager Vincent Cheng share insights on the unique features of Chinese philanthropy and how it is addressing health needs in the country. Read it here.