Naoko Ishii, CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), launched the Forum on Innovation and Partnership as part of the GEF2020 strategy.
The Forum will organize five high-level dialogues on: the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to spur innovative approaches to addressing environmental challenges; cooperation among developing countries and between developing countries and developed countries; sustainable cities; sustainable islands; and new types of partnerships.
6 December 2012: Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environmental Fund (GEF), announced launch of the Forum on Innovation and Partnership on the sidelines of the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The initiative aims to foster “thought provoking” discussion on creative innovation and technology transfer.
The Forum will organize five high-level dialogues aiming at bringing together international institutions, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector to discuss: the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to spur innovative approaches to addressing environmental challenges; cooperation among developing countries and between developing countries and developed countries (including GEF support) can spur private-sector investment for climate technology transfer; challenges and opportunities to improve resource efficiency and sustainable consumption in cities; how islands have been moving toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy that encompasses energy, transport, food security, and water resource management, among other challenges; and new types of partnerships to promote innovation and technology transfer.
This initiative is one of the steps towards the GEF long-term exercise under the GEF2020 strategy, announced at the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Hyderabad, India. The GEF 2020 results from Ishii’s call for a “bolder and more imaginative solution” when tackling global environmental challenges. [GEF Press Release on the Launch of the 2020 Strategy] [GEF Press Release on the Launch of the Forum]