Fostering Global Sustainability: The Bangkok Declaration and the Launch of WSBI’s Social and Philanthropic Council

The president of Fundación La Caixa and the Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CZECH), Isidro Fain, chaired the first meeting of the Social and Philanthropic Council of the World Institute of Savings Banks and Retail Banks (WSBI) in Bangkok, Thailand. The WSBI was established in December 2023, with Fain serving as its president. During the meeting, the ‘Bangkok Declaration’ was issued, which outlines the commitment of participating entities to six areas of action: young population, poverty reduction, education support, empowerment of women, older people, and sustainability of the planet.

The Council’s primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practices among members regarding their social work programs. Additionally, it provides guidance on global trends in philanthropy and identifies areas for important developments to improve global sustainability and stability. Members include international actors in social work and philanthropy such as State Bank of India, German Sparkassenstiftung, Grupo Social Foundation Colombia, Al Barid Bank Morocco, GSB Foundation Savings Banks Thailand among others.

Fain also presented three key social programs run by Fundación La Caixa including a recent agreement with Sparkassenstiftung on Silver Finance supported by Inter-American Development Bank during this meeting. He emphasized that these programs focus on improving financial inclusion for marginalized communities and promoting sustainable development goals.