"The financial sector can play an important role on the path to sustainable funding for education"

Economist Anja Hochberg will participate in the International Cooperation Forum (IC Forum) in Geneva on 15 February. In an interview, she explains why she is committed to education and what it takes to finance education projects.

A group of young people are sitting around a table. Together they are doing schoolwork.

The International Cooperation Forum Switzerland is an important milestone on the path to sustainable funding for education. The financial sector can play an important role in this. © SDC

The theme of the IC Forum is 'Education4Future: finding solutions to make education sustainable and fit for the future'. Can you explain why you're personally so committed to education systems?

Finding sustainable education solutions, especially in times of crisis, is one of the most urgent issues for sustainability. On the one hand, education is at the core of the economic and social development of a country. Secondly, education – SDG 4 – is one of the most underfunded Sustainable Development Goals. This means that the least funding is available in relation to the need. That is our starting position. 

Portrait of Anja Hochberg.
Anja Hochberg, economist, Head of Multi Asset Solutions at the Zürcher Kantonalbank. © FDFA

You've been a staunch supporter of the Education Cannot Wait fund. What kind of fund is it and how can it help to strengthen funding for education?

Before money can be made available for education projects, it must first be generated. We therefore propose a balanced and sustainably managed investment fund whose returns can then be used to finance education projects.

Private as well as institutional investors can thus have a double impact. In the first instance, the fund already invests in companies that contribute to solving sustainability problems. The returns generated by the fund can then be used for the efficient implementation of education projects. Impact reporting will provide information about the effectiveness of the projects.

The IC Forum is a platform that brings together different types of expertise and stakeholders to concretely address innovative solutions to challenges in education. In what innovative ways can the financial sector support international cooperation?

The International Cooperation Forum Switzerland is an important milestone on the path to sustainable funding for education. The financial sector can play an important role in this: on the one hand, it is part of the core expertise of banks to provide investment solutions and to generate returns that can be used to finance education; on the other hand, they can make these investment vehicles available to philanthropically interested investors through their access to clients. 

International Cooperation Forum Switzerland, 15. - 16. February 2023, Geneva

The motto of this year's International Cooperation Forum Switzerland (IC Forum) is Education for Future. The event will bring together a wide variety of perspectives: policymakers, researchers, representatives from the financial and private sector, NGO workers and young people will be working together to devise solutions to global challenges. The hybrid format of the event and the interactive online platform will allow all interested parties from around the world to take part in the discussions. As part of the Youth for Solutions programme, the second day will focus on young people and their approaches.

IC Forum 2023

Start of page