There is a USD 26 trillion global opportunity in green growth according to the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. As compared with business-as-usual, business from the angle of climate action could create over 65 million new low-carbon jobs, avoid over 700,000 premature deaths from air pollution, and generate USD 2.8 trillion in government revenues. However, surveys show that half of the business community believes that achieving a more sustainable world through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other commitments is a government responsibility. Meanwhile, governments know that they need the support from the public sector – both through innovation and finance – if ambitious SDG targets are to be met.
Public-private partnerships offer a solution – and avoid an impasse – to the successful pursuit of a more sustainable future. They allow governments to attract private sector engagement, intellectual capital and investments to accelerate deployment of new technologies and innovations. Businesses can benefit when governments share investment risks, ensuring political stability and local market expertise. Through partnerships, businesses, governments and civil society share the responsibility and the benefits of climate-oriented development.
At the P4G Copenhagen Summit on 19-20 October, 15 international State-of-the-Art public-private partnerships presented their partnerships and shared lessons learned with aspiring P4G partnerships. Summit participants chose five inspiring examples that received the 2018 P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership Award and the opportunity to make a pitch for the P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year Award. All State-of-the-Art partnerships were chosen by a team of global experts and international organizations working with Danish government ministries based on their performance in four main categories: innovation, impact, potential to scale and implementation viability.
The 15 State-of-the-Art partnerships were equally distributed across the five focus SDG areas of food and agriculture, clean water, renewable energy, healthy cities and the circular economy. On 19 October, one partnership per sector was awarded the 2018 State-of-the-Art Partnership Award based on their presentations in breakout sessions, including The Courtauld Commitment 2025, Strategic Water Partnerships Network (SWPN) in South Africa, The District Energy in Cities Initiative (DES), Global Industry Partnership on Soot-Free Clean Bus Fleets, and Next Wave Plastics. Later on 20 October, these five teams presented and discussed their partnership with a panel of industry experts and in front of more than 500 Summit participants. The panel of industry experts selected the preeminent 2018 State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year Award. Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark announced Courtauld Commitment 20205 as the winner of the P4G State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year Award at the Summit award ceremony later in the afternoon.
“Through their presentations at the P4G Summit, these state-of-the-art partnership award winners totally inspired and heartened the outlook for collaborative action on the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges,” said P4G Global Director Ian de Cruz. “We are so proud to recognize each sector winner as well as the partnership of the year so that these projects can help drive us forward – as a P4G family and as a network of do-ers.”
“I am delighted to win such a prestigious award for WRAP’s work on delivering high-impact partnerships. This is a model, I think, that could be widely adopted around the world to help deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals cost-effectively” said Dr. Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP.