COVID-19 has exposed many flaws in our economic systems. Governments are deploying trillions to respond to the pandemic and rebuild economies with unprecedented public spending that will have to be paid for by generations to come. Decisions on how to spend these funds will shape the future.
We face a choice — attempt to prop up an outdated system that has been exposed, or build back a better economy.
Virtual Forums and Mentoring
Challenge Submissions
Registration
Solution Submissions
Participant Webinar
Team Matchmaking
Submissions Refined
Solutions Announced
Evaluation
17 August
10 August
15 August 2020
15 August 2020
21 August 2020
22 August 2020
14 August
24 September
Harnessing an Emerging Sector to Build a Better Economy.
For decades millions of pioneering individuals and organizations have been reimagining and remaking systems of finance, enterprise, measurement, policy, production, consumption and more to better serve the common good. Impact investing, social enterprise, ESG reporting, venture philanthropy, circular economy, and blended finance are only a few examples.
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This mosaic of innovations, involving countless organizations and networks around the world, is spurring the emergence of a new approach to economy and enterprise that combines the best of the public sector (governments), private sector (for-profit businesses), and third sector (non-profits). This has led to the blurring of the boundaries among these three sectors. Viewed in aggregate, this burgeoning activity constitutes a new, fourth sector of the economy which is estimated to represent as much as 10% of GDP in the U.S. and Europe.
Using a Fourth Sector Lens
Participants are encouraged to think BIG and outside-the-box. Looking through a fourth sector lens, they can leverage the decades of innovations that have been growing at the intersection of the traditional sectors to imagine and create a better economy for all.
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Learn more about the emerging fourth sector here.
Ways to Participate
Post or Sponsor a Challenge
Be a Mentor
Submit or Support a Solution
Announcing the Solutions
All solutions that make it to the final round will be announced publicly and presented to governments, multilateral institutions, philanthropic organizations, corporations, INGOs and other development actors interested in building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient post-COVID economy.
The best solutions will be selected through a combination of voting by Hackathon participants and judging by a panel of fourth sector experts. The winning teams will have an opportunity to present their solutions at a special event with government leaders CEOs and alongside the 75th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on September 24.
All Hackathon participants will have an opportunity to participate in a series of virtual forums on building a better economy with senior leaders from government, business, civil society, philanthropy, and other sectors leading up to the UN General Assembly meeting.
