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International social entrepreneur supporter conference kicks off in South Africa

International social entrepreneur supporter conference kicks off in South Africa

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UnLtd employee

UnLtd position

Leading organisations from around the world are travelling to South Africa today (6th March, 2017), for a major agenda-setting conference to tackle inequality and empower social entrepreneurs to transform the world. The Global Social Entrepreneurship Network, GSEN, events will showcase the latest international trends in social impact and help shape the role of multinationals and government in supporting social entrepreneurship. GSEN was launched by UnLtd, the UK's foundation for social entrepreneurship.

The GSEN annual conference will welcome organisations from more than 30 international countries to Cape Town and Johannesburg for the event, which takes place between March 6th and 10th. Among those attending are accelerators, impact investors, non-profit practitioners, and social entrepreneurs themselves. The event will connect key stakeholders, share latest developments and insights for the sector.

Mark Norbury, UnLtd CEO, is among the social impact expert speakers at the event. He said:

This month's events are a wonderful chance for the global community of social entrepreneurs to come together, to learn, discover and create the social impact that can change lives and societies. Social entrepreneurs are a vital part of our development, filling important needs and rising inequality where government and markets can fall short. I'm confident that this superb line-up of events will spark further social innovation, collaboration and engage new supporters in making this vital work happen. Mark Norbury 

We'll be sharing all of the news and insights from the event on the @GlobalSEN and @UnLtd twitter. To get involved in the conversation follow the hashtag #ConnectingLeaders.

A jam-packed week of events

The week begins in Cape Town with closed sessions for GSEN members and new joiners from the continent for focused conversations and peer-learning - all designed to catapult participants and their projects on the global stage. The week culminates at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. This annual event hosts local, national and global stakeholders in an agenda-setting conference that is designed to strengthen and sustain the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa and beyond. UnLtd and GSEN are bringing together organisations working in more than 50 countries. Influential speakers from around the sector are speaking at this month's event, including Ntombi Langa-Royds, chair of LifeCo UnLtd SA, Cliff Prior CEO of Big Society Capital, and Colm McGivern, Director of South Africa at the British Council.

Influential speakers from around the sector are speaking at this month's event, including Ntombi Langa-Royds, chair of LifeCo UnLtd SA, Cliff Prior CEO of Big Society Capital, and Colm McGivern, Director of South Africa at the British Council.

An event highlight is the unique An event highlight is a unique marketplace, showcasing some of the most innovative organisations from the impact sector. The marketplace includes: