Closing Remarks

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club’s CEO and IoP Director, closed the PBC 2024 by expressing gratitude to the delegates and speakers, noting that this was the largest PBC since its launch in 2016. Nearly 100 eminent speakers and more than 2,000 delegates from 40 countries and regions joined the two-day event, including representatives of over 200 local, regional and global foundations. 

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges echoed insights from forum speakers and underlining the importance of the Commission on Asian Philanthropy. “To fully leverage the collaborative power of philanthropy in Asia, this morning we launched the Commission on Asian Philanthropy. Convened by IoP and the Asia Philanthropy Congress and bringing 10 leading Asian foundations together, it aims to build an “in Asia, for Asia” ecosystem and to expand the capacity of Asian practitioners. Crucially, it is committed to staying plural. There will be no one-size-fits-all. Rather, the intention is to learn from, and share, the rich diversity of Asian philanthropy.”

As the conference concluded, Engelbrecht-Bresges looked forward to continued discussions at the Foundations Circle and Hong Kong Philanthropy Week, extending thanks to the HKSAR government and partners.