The Alibaba Foundation, a charitable organization established by the Alibaba Group, hosted the Inaugural Xin Philanthropy Conference in Hangzhou on July 9th and 10th. The event was co-organized by the Hangzhou People’s Government.
The conference brought together celebrities from the world of multilateral organizations and corporate social responsibility. About 1,000 attendees, including nonprofits, NGOs and social entrepreneurs, came to the e-commerce giant’s home base of Hangzhou to take part. Keynote speakers included Jack Ma, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Alibaba Group; Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, who gave the opening remarks; Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Salman Khan, the Founder and CEO of Khan Academy; Yao Ming, the Founder of the Yao Ming Foundation; and Jet Li, the founder of the One Foundation.
The Alibaba Foundation emphasized the need to “give back” while underscoring the importance of grassroots change. As Alibaba founder Jack Ma commented, “It’s not enough to have good will, we also need the talent, the planning and the execution to make a sustainable impact in China and in the world”.
