UNITAR Starts Cooperation with UNECE on Public Private Partnerships
16-18 June 2015, London, United Kingdom – The global interest in public private partnerships (PPPs) has grown significantly in recent years, and governments of many developing countries are now placing a high priority on their involvement in PPPs. Alongside the growth of interest is the need for skills development and training on key topic areas on PPPs, particularly as they relate to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
As part of the cooperation between UNITAR and UNECE on issues pertaining to capacity building in PPPs, the Institute supported ‘PPP Days 2015’, a unique gathering that took place on 16-18 June 2015 at the London Headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The event brought together representatives from member states’ governments, multilateral development banks, international organisations and private sector leaders, to focus on the question: “what would it take to double the RIGHT private investment in infrastructure in developing nations?”
The two-day event, opened by EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti, included one day of plenary and breakout sessions and one day of presentations by government officials to potential investors. EBRD hosted PPP Days 2015 in close cooperation with the African Development Bank (AfdB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the World Bank Group (WBG) and the G-20.
UNITAR was represented at the meeting by Mr. Alex Mejia of its Decentralized Cooperation Programme. He presented the upcoming ‘International Forum on Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Development’, which will take place 29-30 October 2015 in Annemasse, Greater Geneva. The Forum will provide an opportunity for the supply and demand sides of PPPs to share best practices and take steps towards the implementation of concreate sustainable development projects. Mr. Mejia also participated in the annual meeting of UNECE’s Business Advisory Board to explain the Sustainable Development Goals’ process and the potential role of the private sector in building capacity towards the achievement of the SDGs.
Related Link: http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=32412
Photo: High-level presentation and discussion of PPPs