Technology for sustainable development and impact in an ever-changing world

Event report

This session went into detail on what the Horyou Group is doing to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To begin, Mr Yonathan Parienti (CEO, Horyou) explained that it is very important to realise current society is a consumer society with a total population heading towards seven billion people lacking sustainability. As a result, we are facing many challenges that the SDGs aim to fix. Horyou’s mission is to facilitate the connection and collaboration between the private sector, philanthropies, global citizens, NGOs, and innovative projects. During the presentation, Parienti and his colleague Mr Oduduobong Eyita (Director of Business and Partnership Development, Horyou) stressed the importance of the private sector’s taking a more sustainable route because it is believed they play a critical role in making an impact and inspiring decision makers. It is in the private sector’s best interest to do so because it can benefit financially. According to Parienti, studies show 71% of global consumers are willing to pay more for socially responsible items and services because they are seeking more options to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, the private sector is still a long way from reaching the number of investments necessary to make a desirable impact. Parienti stated that today many fragmented and isolated good initiatives exist with the potential to make a positive impact, so if we want to make the same impact across the world, we need to join forces to connect and spread solutions to the majority for those who need it. Horyou presents a solution to the issues stated above by providing a platform that allows this connection and collaboration between parties that focus on social impact. He briefly demonstrated how to navigate the company’s website www.horyou.com. Soon after, Eyita presented an organisation in Korea that is working with the focus on providing clean water. The company aims to meet, examine, and consult with most of the organisations to ensure the proposed project is intended to generate a positive impact towards the SDGs.

The platform also included the HoryouToken (HYT) that uses blockchain technology and is built on the Ethereum network. The blockchain is used for many reasons such as to facilitate low-cost and seamless transactions with a heterogeneous mix of participants in the Horyou community. It includes traceability and transparency of active social good actions, and it enables global inclusion. The goal of this token is to support impact and efficient transfer of funds to change-makers. Funders such as philanthropists, members of the private sector, and global citizens are able to buy HYT in Ethereum, Bitcoin, Euros, or Swiss francs. These funds are then allocated to the change-makers on the platform and they are then able to use the earned tokens in the Horyou marketplace, Horyou partners, or possibly cash out to finance their social impact projects. Each account has a wallet that allows for these transactions to take place. Horyou marketplace allows for participants to promote their business, fuel change and inclusion by selling services and products to other members. The marketplace aims to enhance CSR practices, SDGs and UN 2030 Agenda through HYT feature and transactions.

The session ended with an announcement that Horyou is hosting a conference on Social Innovation and Global Ethics Forum (SIGEF) that will take place in Japan this year; it will discuss issues including artificial intelligence, fin-tech and blockchain, sustainable lifestyle and health technologies, and renewable future energy.

By Jainee Feliz-Cabrera