As the main investor in the newly established fund SWEEF, PBU supports women’s independence and rights in Asia. Completely in line with the wishes of the members, PBU is thus putting further focus on the social area.
Pædagogernes Pension (PBU) invests DKK 100 million. DKK in the fund SWEEF (SEAF Women Economic Empowerment Fund), which was raised by the investment company SEAF. With the investment, PBU is strengthening the social platform that the members have helped to define, and where one of the focus areas is women’s rights. In a European context, PBU is already a significant investor in microfinance and financial inclusion, where the main target group is also women.
“Women in developing countries are the foundation of the family. With investments that have a special focus on women’s conditions, we strengthen their employment, earnings and opportunities for social and economic advancement. From experience, it implies better financial and social welfare for the whole family. At the same time, we expect that these investments will provide a good return for our members. Responsibility, social impact and competitive returns go hand in hand,” says PBU’s managing director, Sune Schackenfeldt.
Investments that make a difference
With the investment in SWEEF, PBU supports its focus on women’s rights and conditions. This must be done through investments in Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia in sectors with high growth and with a special focus on female entrepreneurs, companies led by women and within industries with a high element of female labor and which focus on gender equality.
“We are pleased to be able to announce our partnership with PBU. This investment is groundbreaking for European investors and demonstrates PBU’s investment commitment to strengthening women’s economic opportunities to influence their own lives and futures and to strengthen gender equality. I am pleased with the support and flexibility PBU has shown us to achieve this milestone given the global travel restrictions that have been in place in 2020,” said SEAF Director Jennifer Buckley.
Positive effect on sustainable development
The social focus of the investments has a close connection with the UN’s Global Goals for sustainable development. PBU’s investment is expected to have a positive effect on the goals of poverty eradication, gender equality, quality education as well as decent jobs and economic growth. By strengthening women’s rights and conditions, children’s conditions are also significantly improved in terms of nutrition, education and health.
About SEAF:
SEAF (Small Enterprise Assistance Funds) manages more than 1.2 billion dollars and has more than 30 years of experience with 40 funds in over 30 developing and emerging countries.
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