3GF Boosts the Green Economy through Public-Private Partnerships

On 26-27 March 2012, more than 100 representatives from governments, global corporations and international organizations will meet in Copenhagen for a strategy meeting to discuss the role of public-private partnerships in unlocking green growth. The meeting will lay the tracks for the second annual Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) on 9-10 October 2012.

Denmark has taken leadership in establishing the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) in cooperation with Korea and Mexico. The Forum is gaining momentum as a leading international venue for public demonstrations of leadership and cooperation to catalyze green growth.

After a successful inaugural Forum in 2011, 3GF 2012 will take place in Copenhagen on 9-10 October 2012. In his key note address during the Forum last year, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed to the Forum as “a chance for thoughtful reflection and also determined action” and encouraged the select group of more than 200 participating world leaders to form alliances and commit to engagement.

This year, the overall theme for 3GF is “Resource Efficiency and Growth”. The Forum provides a key platform for profiling and catalyzing partnerships that can boost resource efficiency and accelerate and scale the transitions to green growth. The March strategy meeting will launch preparations in order to present and give commitment to a range of public-private partnerships in the areas of energy, water, biorefining, trade, procurement, finance and cities for the 3G Forum in October.

To identify the most efficient focus areas and strategies for cooperation, 3GF has developed a unique analytical framework to help assess the linkages between resource productivity, green growth and public-private partnerships. The analysis takes its point of departure in McKinsey & Company’s report “Resource Revolution: Meeting the world’s energy, material, food and water needs” and will be presented during the opening plenary of the strategy meeting.

The analysis looks at six resource efficiency opportunities with a combined worldwide potential of $830 billion in resource savings per year by 2030, and points to possible public-private avenues to seize these opportunities.

Four Danish ministers will host the strategy meeting where representatives from a range og governments including China, Ethiopia, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam will participate. A wide range of global corporations and organizations central to public-private dialogues will be attending including United Nation Global Compact, of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum.

“3GF’s global agenda of creating growth and jobs through the expansion of the green economy worldwide is dependent on commitment and cooperation between visionary governments, private enterprises and investors”, states Villy Søvndal, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Denmark. ”I am truly encouraged to see such a broad range of governments from all corners of the world represented at this strategy meeting. The realization that sustainable economic growth is the only pathway to lasting prosperity for all is clearly spreading. 3GF will provide concrete options for visionary leaders, from governments and private corporations alike to follow in this path.” 

3GF is informing and drawing from key international processes including the Clean Energy Ministerial, the G20 in Mexico, the UN Rio+20 Conference and the COP18 global climate negotiations in Qatar. During the strategy meeting participants – including senior representatives from several key governments - will furthermore discuss how 3GF can serve as a platform to synergize the public-private dialogues related to the international green growth agenda.

Minister of Business and Growth Ole Sohn states: “Creating global green growth through international public-private partnerships is a good and concrete way to address the challenges of increasing resource scarcity which the world will be facing over the coming years. Co-operation and action is needed to meet these challenges to ensure continued growth and the prosperity of future generations. The transition to a greener global economy also presents great business opportunities which we should be sure to capture. That is why I consider 3GF as a unique lever and platform for accelerating global green growth.”

Minister for Climate, Energy and Building Martin Lidegaard states: “The world is faced with increasing resource scarcity and energy prices and a mounting pressure on the global climate. The transition to a low carbon future is our chance globally to install greater resilience in our economic growth - in the interest of governments, companies and citizens. No country, no government and no industry can achieve this in isolation. Strong and operative global partnerships are needed to catalyse change in the way we produce, transmit and use energy - and to secure investments in green growth.”

Minister for Trade and Investment Pia Olsen Dyhr states: “We need to be better at using public-private partnerships and innovative commercial solutions to meet global challenges like water scarcity and increasing energy demands. We also need to consider new initiatives in our trade policy to liberalize trade in climate friendly products and services. 3GF is important in order to explore new avenues to green growth”.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF DENMARK

Asiatisk Plads 2, 1448  København K - Tlf. +45 33 92 00 00, e-mail: [email protected]