Bridging Borders, Building Momentum: Highlights from PAA’s Global Engagements

From Hong Kong to New York, the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) spent September and October on the move — connecting with partners, shaping conversations, and advancing collaboration on Asia’s most pressing challenges.

Across six countries, PAA engaged in high impact convenings, exploring how philanthropy can catalyse partnerships, mobilise capital, and turn ideas into action. Here are the highlights.

Corporate for Good Summit — Shenzhen (6 September)

Photo: Tencent

The inaugural Corporate for Good Summit in Shenzhen brought together nearly 300 leaders from business, government, philanthropy, and academia under the theme “Empowering Asia’s Business and Tech Ecosystem for Social Impact”.

PAA joined the panel “Innovative Models of Corporate Philanthropy in Asia” alongside Xiao Liming, Vice President of Tencent Sustainable Social Value (SSV); Chen Yao, General Manager of Branding at Ping An Group; and Brian San, Secretary-General of the Institute of Philanthropy. Moderated by Professor Annie Tam Kam-lan, Vice Chairman of Hong Kong’s Connecting Hearts Initiative, the session explored how businesses, philanthropic organisations, academia, and civil society can pilot new models and co-create a more resilient and inclusive philanthropic ecosystem.

Key takeaways:

• China is experiencing a rise in corporate philanthropy as more enterprises embed social impact into business.

• Business and philanthropy can reinforce each other to create shared value.

• Companies must go beyond shareholder returns to support communities and deliver stakeholder value.

AVPN Global Conference — Hong Kong (9 to 11 September)

Photos: AVPN

Hosted by AVPN and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, this year’s conference convened over 1,500 changemakers under the theme “Asian Leadership for an Inclusive World.” Discussions highlighted the need for decisive, collective action from Asia’s philanthropic leaders.

At the session “From Policy to Impact: Regional Pathways for Sustainable Innovation”, PAA joined Neera Nundy, Co-Founder and Partner at Dasra, and moderator Priya Shanker, Executive Director at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, to explore philanthropy’s role in shaping policy and scaling innovation.

PAA also co-hosted a Leaders’ Breakfast with Asia Philanthropy Circle and AVPN, focused on strategic collaboration in climate, health, and inclusion. The discussion highlighted collaborative opportunities around catalytic projects such as the Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (APGI) — an AI-driven platform strengthening early-warning capabilities against future pandemics.

Key takeaways:

• Philanthropy can bridge policy and innovation to scale solutions regionally.

• Clear narratives are key to sustaining funder and stakeholder engagement.

Impact Week — Singapore (15 to 19 September)

Impact Week, organised by Tsao Pao Chee (TPC) and NO.17 Foundation with the World Economic Forum, attracted over 4,000 leaders to its inaugural event. The conference and festival focused on building a Well-being Economy across six strategic pillars: Climate & Nature, Circular Economy, Energy Transition, Food Systems, Human Construct, and Well-being.

PAA participated in the panel “From Capital Stack to Impact Architecture: Rewiring the Capital Supply Chain and Blended Finance”,discussing how philanthropy can assume early-stage risk to attract larger pools of private capital. The conversation underscored the need to adopt new approaches and use financial instruments strategically to move initiatives beyond pilot stages.

Key takeaways:

• Philanthropy can play a risk-bearing role to unlock private capital.

• Collaboration with government and industry helps move solutions from pilot to scale.

• Systems change requires rethinking how different forms of capital are deployed.

Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on Philanthropy for Advancing the SDGs — Tokyo (18 to 19 September)

Photos: ADBI

In Tokyo, PAA joined 20 leaders from philanthropy, finance, and government at a roundtable co-organised by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), World Bank, Dasra, and Gates Foundation. The focus: how Asian capital — public, private, and philanthropic — can accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

PAA shared insights on blended finance and cross-sector partnerships to scale solutions, and will next work with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to explore how philanthropic capital can support development in lower- and middle-income countries.

Key takeaways:

• Philanthropy, policy, and the private sector must work together to achieve the SDGs and amplify impact across borders.

• Philanthropic capital is pivotal in de-risking and mobilising sustainable finance.

Climate Week NYC — New York (21 to 28 September)

Photos: Climate Week NYC

Under the theme “Power On,” Climate Week NYC convened global leaders to tackle climate challenges. PAA brought an Asian lens to the dialogue, hosting a closed-door roundtable on “Private–Public–Philanthropic Partnerships for Climate Action in Asia” to explore how multi-stakeholder partnerships can drive regionally grounded, scalable solutions.

Alongside bilateral meetings with members and partners, PAA contributed to two panel discussions:

• “Bridging the Gap: How and Where Is Philanthropy Stepping In on Climate?” at The Hub Live by Climate Group; and

• “Global Alliances for Climate Action” at the SEE the Future Forum by SEE Foundation

Key takeaways:

• Asia is on the frontline of climate vulnerability and a source of innovative, scalable solutions — from transition credits to the ASEAN power grid.

• Interconnected challenges such as climate and health require breaking silos and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

OceanX Summit — Singapore (1 to 3 October)

Photos: OceanX

Aboard the OceanXplorer, the inaugural OceanX Summit brought together scientists, philanthropists, and policymakers to accelerate ocean-based solutions.

PAA joined a panel moderated by Jennifer Lewis, Head of Collaboration & Partnership at Temasek Trust, alongside leaders from OceanQuest, Tanoto Foundation, and Rumah Group & Foundation, to discuss how global partnerships can make waves for ocean impact.

We shared how PAA’s Blue Oceans Community, co-led by Dalio Philanthropies and TPC, is advancing collaboration and mobilising funding towards catalytic ocean conservation and exploration projects in Asia.

Key takeaways:

• Oceans are vital yet underfunded — collaboration is key to unlocking capital.

• Asia can lead in driving science-based, locally anchored ocean action.

• Oceans will be a key priority at Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026.

AsiaXchange — Jakarta (6 to 8 October)

Photos: The Rockefeller Foundation

At AsiaXchange 2025: From Solutions to Scale, organised by The Rockefeller Foundation, PAA joined over 370 leaders to explore Asia’s role in driving equitable growth, strengthening climate resilience, and building inclusive economies.

In the session “Asia for Asia: Mobilising Asia’s Own Wealth for Its Future”, our CEO Shaun Seow emphasised how catalytic philanthropy and concessional capital can unlock sustainable growth in the region. He also underscored the importance of directing resources to underfunded areas such as ocean health and climate resilience.

Key takeaways:

• Asia’s wealth must fuel its own sustainable development.

• Locally led partnerships can bridge global ambition with regional action.

Looking Ahead

From climate to health, oceans to energy, these engagements underscored the power of cross-border collaboration. Over the past two months, our team exchanged learnings with hundreds of partners and explored new ways to strengthen collaborative philanthropy in and for Asia.

As we gear up for Philanthropy Asia Summit 2026, PAA remains focused on enabling partnerships that turn ambition into action — for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

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