In different times, there will be different global challenges. In dealing with global challenges, there are many forces that try to change the world. Some may benefit one part of the world while others may suffer. But philanthropy has only one goal, that is, common happiness. It is the essential goal of philanthropy. In the process of building human civilization progress, philanthropy is a very important force.

—— One of the Founders of the Global Philanthropy Institute

Founder of Inner Mongolia Laoniu Philanthropy Foundation

Co-Chairman of East-West Philanthropy Forum

Niu Gensheng

Beijing Time, on March 23, 2019, under the joint witness of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China and Prime Minister Konte of the Italian Republic, "Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Sino-Italian  Philanthropy Forum" was officially signed. The establishment of the Sino-Italian  Philanthropy Forum marked the epoch-making historical stage of philanthropic exchanges between the East and the West, and was highly valued by leaders of the two countries.

This paper is an excerpt from Mr. Niu Gensheng, the Founder of Inner Mongolia Lao Niu Philanthropy Foundation, one of the Founders of Global Philanthropy Institute

and the Co-chairman of East-West Philanthropy Forum, who delivered a speech at the Sino-Italian Philanthropy Forum Round Table titled on "Global Challenges and State Responsibilities, Evolution of Influence of Philanthropists" on March 22. He believes that with the development of the times, the influence of philanthropists has undergone four major changes.

First, the influence of philanthropists is evolving from localization to globalization

Take me personally as an example. In the 1980s and 1990s, my philanthropy activities were mainly in one province. For example, when someone was seriously ill, I donated money to him; when the days of local people were tight in the countryside, I sent rice to him.

By the end of 2004, I founded the the Lao Niu Foundation. Since then, the scope of my philanthropy activities has not only been a province, nor a country, but also expanded to the whole world!

At the same time, we are not doing philanthropy alone, but try our best to unite philanthropy around the world and concentrate on major events to form a global philanthropy ecosystem. For example, in fighting the Ebola virus in Africa which the Lao Niu Foundation cooperates with Tony Blair's African Governance Initiative (AGI); and the Shenzhen Global Philanthropy Institute which train philanthropy talents for China was jointly initiated by five Chinese and American philanthropists, including Bill Gates.

Overall, in the 15 years since the end of 2004, the Lao Niu Foundation has cooperated with more than 170 institutions and organizations around the world, such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the University of Toronto, Canada, and the Li Jiacheng Foundation of China, and has run 236 philanthropy projects.

Second, the Influence of Philanthropists is Changing from "Paying Attention to Society" to "Paying Attention to Society + Nature".

In the past, the problem of eating was the biggest problem of mankind, so philanthropists paid more attention to people and social problems. Today, with the prosperity of human society, philanthropists pay the same attention to the whole nature because there would be no human beings without the earth, no harmony between human beings and other creatures, and no future of human beings.

Consequently, among the numerous global challenges, the Lao Niu Foundation has ultimately made environmental protection as its first responsibility because we believe that environmental protection is the largest common denominator of mankind. We all know that the "butterfly effect" is global, so about environmental protection, localization is globalization. Managing the "butterfly" in front of our own door is equivalent to managing the global "tornado".

Let me tell you about two examples of environmental protection done by the Lao Niu Foundation.

One is the ecological restoration project. In Inner Mongolia, which is regarded as one of the origins of sand and dust outbreaks in China, the Lao Niu Foundation, in cooperation with the The Nature Conservancy (TNC), has constructed the Shengle International Ecological Demonstration Zone in Inner Mongolia, which has transformed more than 2,000 hectares of barren hills into green areas. Soil and water are no longer lost. Wildlife has returned. Biodiversity has increased from less than 30 species to more than 70 species. In the next 30 years, it is expected to absorb and fix 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide, which was awarded the "Most Influential Project" by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China as the Chinese Philanthropy Award, became the first Inner Mongolia carbon sink project registered under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and won the Gold Medal Certification of Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCB), and was selected as the excellent case of "solution database" of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The second is the wetland protection project. It is the Chinese wetland protection project the Lao Niu Foundation cooperates with the Paulson Foundation. The project carried out the analysis of the protection vacancies of East Asia-West Australia, a migratory route spanning 22 countries, including the United States, Russia and Australia to identify 11 important coastal wetlands in urgent need of protection in China, 24 threatened waterbirds in the world and take protective actions.

Third, the Influence of Philanthropists is Evolving from Single-track "Financial Philanthropy" to Dual-track "Financial Philanthropy + Intellectual Philanthropy"

For example, in China, more and more entrepreneurs begin to do dual philanthropy. The first is "financial philanthropy" that they donate wealth to set up philanthropy organizations, and use wealth to change the lives of people. The second is "Intellectual philanthropy" that they use their wisdom to help and influence the young generation of philanthropists and entrepreneurs.

As for intellectual philanthropy, I mainly do two things. One is to be a philanthropist who trains philanthropists, that is, to advocate and influence more people to do philanthropy. The establishment of Shenzhen Global Philanthropy Institute, the sponsorship of the "Thousands of Philanthropy Program" and the launch of the "East-West Philanthropy Forum" are all what I do.

The second is to be a philanthropist of the producer. I am one of the founders of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Club, and served as a director. I have coached thirty or forty enterprises, large or small, in various ways.

Fourth, the Influence of Philanthropists is Evolving from "Surgical Philanthropy" to "Genetic Philanthropy"

"Surgical philanthropy" means cutting off any place where something is wrong, or changing it with a scalpel in order to make a place beautiful. Most of our philanthropy used to be like this. Africa is poor. I give you food; the Danube is polluted and I purify it. These are all "surgical philanthropy". Treating the symptoms and not the disease is not a solution at all.

Today's philanthropists are increasingly dissatisfied with curing the symptoms. They are determined to cure diseases. How can we make the poor self-reliant, completely pull out the roots of poverty; how can people stop discharging pollutants into the Danube River... This is all about transforming social genes, which is the root of the problems, so such philanthropy is "genetic philanthropy".

I am deeply impressed by China's reform and opening up. I have witnessed a scene in which a system changes a society. The introduction of market economy has brought us tremendous changes. Therefore, the Lao Niu Foundation began to pay attention to the study of philanthropy legislation very early. As early as 2007, we established the Research Center of Philanthropy, Sports and Law of Peking University, and in 2010, established first philanthropy research institute in China, the China Philanthropy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University. Both of these institutions have done a little bit of responsibility for the promulgation of Charity Law of China. We believe that institutional change, cultural change and custom change are all things that alter social genetics and can produce amazing explosive power.

Finally, let's change the world with philanthropy!

I wish the Sino-Italian Philanthropy Forum a complete success!