2023 Annual Report: Transforming systems for impact at scale

For billions of people the world is unsafe, uncertain, and unpredictable. Inequity is increasing. The climate crisis is already deeply impacting the lives of those who are least resilient, and more people are living in increasingly fragile contexts. Hundreds of millions of people still lack access to energy, food and water, and to counter the challenges the world faces, we need to pursue a level of change that goes beyond treating symptoms and addresses the root causes of poverty and inequality, at scale.

In 2023, we focused our efforts on kickstarting the implementation of our 2030 Strategy to ensure we can respond effectively to the changing global context. Together with our partners we contributed to measurably improving the lives of 6.4 million people through strengthening systems to deliver more equitable outcomes, increased incomes, and more inclusive access to basic services.

Our 2023 Annual Report frames our activities through the lens of three important topics: systems transformation, climate change and equity and inclusion. It showcases many examples of the projects and programmes through which we have contributed to impact that matters, together with our partners:

• Supporting systems transformation lies at the core of our strategy and has continued to be central to our work over this past year. Across our portfolio is a commitment to influence and positively contribute to the shaping of six dimensions of systems transformation, helping us translate the concept into concrete, hands-on action. For example, the second phase of the T-WASH programme is contributing to a shift in how investment in WASH is made in Mozambique. In 2023 the programme increased access to new water supply services for over 62,000 people.

• Across every country where we work, the climate crisis is being experienced increasingly severely. In 2023 we embarked on a journey to establish a new, organisation-wide climate practice to make low-carbon and climate-resilient considerations a mainstream element of project portfolios and our own operations. For example, DFCD’s Origination Facility is catalysing private sector investment in climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. So far, SNV has been active 10 countries through the Facility, and with our support, nine businesses graduated from the programme in 2023.

• Securing a more equitable future is central to all that we do. We are committed to prioritising Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) across all our programmes in order to facilitate long-term, transformative change. In 2023 we worked to advance access to productive resources for women and marginalised groups, promote social cohesion, and develop business opportunities and more viable economic livelihoods for women and youth. For example, the BEAM Fund looks at the effectiveness of demand-side subsidies in promoting the adoption of electric cooking in Bangladesh. In 2023, the Fund provided 7,500 people with access to clean cooking, with almost half of the subsidy recipients being female.

‘During these tumultuous times, SNV's mission is of increasingly vital importance. Whilst we are proud of the impacts that we and our myriad of partners are contributing to, we know we have a responsibility to find new and better ways to generate deeper, larger scale, lasting positive impacts; impact that matters’, reflects Simon O’Connell, SNV’s Chief Executive Officer.

To learn more about the impact of our work in 2023 with the support of our partners and donors, download our annual report on the link below.