15 November | 11:50 – 13:10 (GMT+7)

The objective of this session is to look at the advantages of the platform approach for development funding and programming. The session will demonstrate how a platform can extend long beyond the typical project time frame, allow for multiple investors, and serve as a sustainable cost-effective solution for a variety of health and development challenges. Global health and development investors typically provide project awards that last just three to five years. At the end of the award period, progress pauses while the investor decides whether to keep funding a project or go in another direction. This time-bound project approach works in some cases, but to achieve sustainable, cost-effective impact across a variety of global health and development challenges, a platform approach is needed. Session speakers will explain how a global development platform creates a multi-layered ecosystem for scaling sustainable solutions. They will also address how a platform takes advantage of economies of scale as it offers more opportunities to incorporate cost efficiencies and cost-effectiveness the larger its scale and coverage.