The report presented (VIENNA, 14 November 2011) by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) establishes a new Connectedness Index, the first attempt to measure knowledge networks for private sector policy.

Switzerland topped the global ranking, followed by Sweden, The Netherlands, the United States, Finland, Singapore, Norway, Canada, the UK, France, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Israel, Slovenia, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand.

Titled Networks for prosperity: achieving development goals through knowledge sharing, the report was funded by the Spanish MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F) as part of a project that aims to establish a global knowledge system for private sector development. The report lays the basis for policy recommendations that will help developing countries acquire and adapt private sector development know-how.

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Networks for Prosperity demonstrates that the ‘connectedness’ of a country has a strong positive relationship with various measures for its economic performance, justifying the growing interest of policy-makers in knowledge networks. Specific issues related to the governance of international, inter-organizational and intra-organizational networks are discussed in separate chapters. These are illustrated with detailed examples from twelve countries: Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Panama, Peru, Serbia, Turkey and Viet Nam, all of which are currently implementing MDG-F private sector development programmes.

The report has been jointly produced by UNIDO and the Centre for Global Governance Studies in Leuven, Belgium, under the overall umbrella of the MDG-F, with inputs from various public and private institutions in more than fifteen countries as well as contributions from programme managers, practitioners and experts.

“This report shows that new networks are emerging as a distinct form of governance to meet ever-changing policy challenges in international development. It establishes for the first time a Connectedness Index covering a wide range of countries and correlating strongly with indicators on government effectiveness, regularity quality, industrial development and economic development. The report provides solid recommendations on the next steps to be taken in deepening this index, and in leveraging the role of networks for private sector development,” said UNIDO Director-General, Kandeh K. Yumkella.

Spain’s Secretary of State for International Development Cooperation, Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, recalled that in 2006, the U.N. and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation signed a landmark agreement to programme EUR 528 million towards key development goals and related development goals in select sectors and countries.

“With this support, the Government of Spain is demonstrating its commitment to international development and to a strengthened multilateral system, and U.N. in particular. Knowledge management and knowledge networks are crucial elements in order to exchange information and experiences that consolidates good practices that are generated through MDG-F joint programme implementation which can then be used for future initiatives,” said Ramos.

The Director of the MDG Achievement Fund, Sophie de Caen, added: “New and innovative solutions will be needed to overcome development challenges as we approach 2015. Networks for Prosperity provides solid recommendations for such solutions in the area of Development and the Private Sector. I look forward to the implementation of these proposals in the next phase of the programme, and to the further strengthening of our global partnership for development.”

While not a new phenomenon, knowledge networking and network governance have gained importance with the rapid globalization in all spheres of our societies: economic success, social cohesion and environmental sustainability in a country depends more than ever on the performance and behaviour of its neighbours, regional leaders and global economic powers. Knowledge about these, with a focus on the driver of development, private enterprise, has therefore become of crucial importance, and knowledge management and knowledge networking are important topics for change agents and policymakers.

The publication will also be presented in Brussels, Busan and New York.

Go here to download or read online the full report and executive summary and for more information

To download the statement of Miroslava Beham, Ambassador of Serbia, click here

To download the statement of Carmen Buján Freire, Ambassador of Spain, click here

To download the statement of Jan Wouters, University of Leuven click here

UNIDO – Networks for prosperity is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

South Africa will host the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP17) from November 28th to December 9th, 2011. As this global event is held in the City of Durban (eThekwini Municipality), the Government of South Africa and Global Environment Facility (GEF) are taking the opportunity to demonstrate South Africa’s strong commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Partnering with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), GEF is funding the project “Greening the COP17” to demonstrate South Africa’s commitment towards GHG emission by promoting clean energy sources and by supporting targeted climate change awareness activities by decision-makers and the general public.

Background;
In line with global efforts to combat climate change and promote green economy, the Government of South Africa through its Department of Environment (DEA) has developed comprehensive National Greening Framework and Guidelines in 2010, which aim at assisting host cities to mitigate environmental, social, and economic impacts of organizing international / global events.

Based on encouraging results from the Greening of the FIFA World Cup in 2010 (a project funded by the GEF and implemented by the United Nations Environment Program), the South African Government and GEF are partnering to promote and scale up some of the activities during COP17. The 2011 National Greening programme forms an integral part of South Africa’s response to the challenges of global climate change and its pursuit of a more sustainable growth and development agenda. Private sector partners are also making strong contributions to greening of the COP17.

Project activities

The Greening the COP17 project features the following four components:

Communications and Awareness Raising
Innovative Technology Competition for Small and Medium Enterprises
Low Carbon Public Transportation: eThekwini Municipality
Solar Water Heater Emission Offset to Support Health Clinics

1. Getting the word out: The Purpose of the first component is to increase awareness among COP 17 participants, Durban inhabitants and other stakeholders of opportunities for minimizing the ecological footprint of the COP 17 event; activities and achievements of the South Africa – GEF partnership; best practices of South Africa’s National Greening Programme; global and local environmental benefits of ongoing activities in eThekwini such as energy efficient lighting and appliances, low carbon urban transport system, resource efficiency including clean water and increased use of renewable energy.

A green passport will be designed and distributed to COP participants and Durban inhabitants during the COP meetings by environmental volunteers. Information on the National Greening program of South Africa and the South Africa-GEF partnership will be distributed at various COP venues and at the South Africa Expo as well as shown on national television. Additionally, dozens of environmental volunteers will be present on the streets around Durban ready to inform about Greening initiatives and answer questions from COP participants and Durban citizens.

2. The “Clean Tech” angle for businesses: The second component focuses on identification of “Clean Tech” entrepreneurs as well as business support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through a clean technology competition. The National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of South Africa with support of other relevant national partners, will organize and conduct a clean energy technology innovation competition for SMEs. The “South Africa Cleantech Competition” will raise awareness on the potential for environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) in order to change the mindset around innovative clean technology in SA, whilst enhancing opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Clean Tech Open, the US based clean energy competition initiative, is providing critical experts and systems to help launch the competition. Many private sector partners, national and international companies are supporting the project by offering free of charge incubation training, legal services and mentoring services to the finalists. Such support is expected to enhance the potential for EST innovation and market penetration of such ESTs by SMEs.

The competition focuses on three categories of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Green Buildings. Two tracks of innovations have been set as Break-Through Technologies and Innovative Technology for Adaptation. After selecting a category, entrants can select the track they wish to contest in and comply with the rules pertaining to that particular category and track. Forty semi-finalists – twenty for each of the two tracks, will receive training and mentoring by industry leaders, as well as participate in networking events. Five finalists selected for each of the two tracks will have the opportunity to showcase their ideas at COP 17, and participate in a gala event to select the winner in each track on December 8th in Durban. All finalists will be awarded a package of grants and free business support services provided by private sector partners located in South Africa and overseas.

The support for innovative SMEs creates tangible incentives for aspiring entrepreneurs in all fields to contribute to sustainable development. The South Africa Cleantech Competition is expected to become a legacy project of COP17. The competition will be launched at the gala event and may well become an annual event in South Africa with the support of the national counterparts.

The GEF is working closely with the Clean Economy Network (CEN) to develop a webinar on the GEF-South Africa partnership on the efforts to promote clean tech entrepreneurship and innovation in South Africa. The webinar will also provide a unique opportunity for the GEF and its partners to request CEN members to join the project as volunteer mentors. CEN has become the prime networking organization for those interested in clean tech and clean energy. Only slightly more than two years old, the organization has 12,600 individual members and 66 national corporate members. The associated LinkedIn group has more than 32,000 members.

3. Biking your way to the conference: For the third component, the Low Carbon Public Transport component will provide, in collaboration with eThekwini Municipality, bicycles to COP 17 delegates and personnel. The 300 bicycles provided by the GEF grant will be used on the upgraded bike paths eThekwini, and can be used to move people around the COP venue area as well as between the COP area and the inner city. Recommended bike paths that Durban prepared for the FIFA World Cup 2010 have since been expanded and upgraded for COP17. Information on environmental, health and social impact of cycling and transport emissions are displayed at the bicycle pick-up stations.

After the COP17, some of the bicycles will be distributed to local schools and communities in line with selection criteria applied by the Durban municipality. Others will remain in Durban to continue supporting the Durban city initiative of greening inner city transport in the future by promoting public-private partnership to commercially promote the bicycle rental business to tourists and local inhabitants. The project will also explore long-term prospects for the manufacture, distribution and servicing of bicycles and other low carbon alternative transport systems in resort areas.

4. Letting the sun boil water in health clinics

Building on already ongoing efforts to promote the use of Solar Water Heaters (SWHs) in the residential sector: the fourth component promotes the installation of SWHs for health clinics in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and the Ilembe District in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. SWHs will be installed on selected rural health clinics. COP participants will be informed about the impacts of these installations and asked to contribute on a voluntary basis to the scale up of this type of project in order to further offset COP participation related emissions and encourage the installations of renewable energy in South Africa. The City of Durban, together with the COP17 organisation committee, has a bundle of registered Carbon Development Mechanism (CDM) projects which generated carbon credits that are also offered to COP delegates for official offsetting of COP related emissions. The social infrastructure SWH initiative of this component is not an officially registered carbon project but should be seen as a social responsibility project that delegates could support on a voluntary basis in order to further increase the greening of their COP footprints.

Key Facts:
South Africa will host COP 17 on 28 November to 9th December 2011 in the City of Durban
Demonstration of South Africa’s commitment to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable energy sources and ensure broad climate change awareness.
Four distinct components
Awareness Raising
Innovative Technology Competition
Low Carbon Public Transport
Solar Water Heater Emission Offset to Support Health Clinics
Based on experience from greening initiative at FIFA World Cup in 2010
Budget: GEF funding US$1 million, Co-financing US$1,35 million
Timeline: April 2011 – March 2012

GEF-South Africa partnership in Biodiversity, Climate Change, Land Degradation and POPs
The GEF-South Africa partnership has resulted in 35 projects in the different focal areas of the GEF. Project funding amounts to US$36 million GEF funding that has been leveraged by US$667 million co-financing. Project objectives have ranged from: conservation of biodiversity in the Cape Province and the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park; development of protected areas; and support to the Greater Addo Elephant Park in the biodiversity focal area. For the Climate Change focal area, projects have focused on renewable energies (wind, polar, hydro), energy efficiency, sustainable transport and market transformation.

UNIDO COP17 Project design production is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

We wish all the success to the Irish Chamber team and would like to lend our thanks to Glen Farrell and Eszter Redmond for all their hard work over the last year.

Irish Chamber of Commerce Slovakia is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

With a worldwide presence, KPMG continues to build on our member firms’ successes thanks to clear vision, rigorously maintained values and, above all, its people.

The page will be used to promote events throughout KPMG and connect to it’s younger audience and drive the recruitment area.

KPMG in Slovakia

Promote your Page too

KPMG Slovakia, social media facebook page is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

The first 15,000 copies were delivered in February this year and we are now working on a delivery that will be in place before the end of 2011.

15,000 claim forms for UNRoD is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

Social media allows us to share our interests, express our views and stay in touch with our friends, businesses and even the world if we so chose.

So it comes to me as a great surprise when I speak to some people and business’s who do not recognise the importance of this channel of communication. They often dismiss it as a new fad or a waste of valuable productive time, they believe (as also did I at one stage) that their employees are mis-using valuable resources on a pointless posting of “where you are” or “what you are currently up to”.

Please do not be too quick to dismiss social media, only because it sounds frightening or perhaps one doesn’t quite understand it, we can be educated on new solutions that in the future eventually become “everyday tasks”, we do not need to be afraid of change. I can understand the fear, perhaps the feeling of lack of privacy, will I have stalkers? Maybe there could be inappropriate behavior and our secrets or family lives could be exposed to anyone or everyone, especially if we are in a position of responsibility.

The fact of the matter is as follows:

1. Social Media is very important in today’s business age and if your business is cutting edge it needs to utilise social media.

2. One needs to be weary, but by using the security settings and a little vigilance, we can protect ourselves from any unwanted exposure.

3. Be sure this is not a fad, it is a new way of life, there is much to be gained by joining this social media revolution.

With these points in mind one not need to be afraid of this fairly new method of communication, we should embrace it and let it assist our personal and business activities.

Mistakes can and will of course be made. We have all sent an email to the wrong person at one time or another, with perhaps only a little embarrassment but in worst cases they may have had catastrophic business implications. The same is possible with social media, so be careful but do not be timid.

I believe management whom decide to ban or impose restrictions on social media in the work place or individuals that decide that Facebook or google+ is not for them will find that in the long run they are the ones that will be in the dark, be left behind by technology, friends and find that their business lacks a cutting edge that is needed in today’s competitive market.

Let me give you an example of driving business; I wrote this article for instance, then I uploaded it to my blog, I then created an “awareness post” as I call it, either on twitter or perhaps facebook etc. This post/tweet has larger exposure to many more people than my company blog could reach. It reaches my friends and my business contact, perhaps the tweet is connected to my linked-in account or my google+ page. Be sure that whichever thread I choose, exposure of my post grows and any people that may find it interesting or helpful will read it. This will prove all these quick links have fulfilled a task and have driven interest back to my blog and ultimately my business which may not make a gain today, maybe not tomorrow, however in the future someone may “LIKE” or appreciate what I had to say today.

So my message is simple… embrace the art of social media, enjoy reading articles and posts from your family, peers and your colleagues. Strive to make a difference, your voice will be heard and if not by tens of thousands of people perhaps by just ten or only one, but someone will get YOUR message, join YOUR cause, buy YOUR product or simply “LIKE” what you have suggested. Move forward, oh and “LIKE” this too…

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Why Social Media? Is it for me? is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

The Forum facilitated an international dialogue on providing universal energy access and on the multiple co-benefits of increasing energy efficiency. Core themes addressed at the conference included:

• Agreeing on a common understanding of energy access
• Agreeing on a strategy to ensure universal access to modern energy services and increase energy efficiency by reducing energy intensity by 40% until 2030
• Identifying indicative targets and policies in support of these objectives
• Prioritizing key national and regional actions on energy access and energy efficiency

The Forum brought together more than 1,200 participants from 125 countries including heads of state, policy-makers, experts, civil society and the private sector. A total of 99 key speakers from 45 different countries facilitated the discussion on how to overcome energy poverty and how to move from declarations of intention to tangible action on the ground.

Speaking at the Forum, former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger said that universal energy access was not “just about lighting a dark room, or cooking on a better stove. It’s about the freedom that energy – and especially renewable energy – gives us”.

Kandeh K. Yumkella, who also chairs UN-Energy, a United Nations system-wide coordinating mechanism on energy issues, said that the lack of access to affordable, reliable energy services was a fundamental hindrance to human, social, and economic development, adding that “without access to modern forms of energy it is highly unlikely that any of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals will be achieved”.“Close to 3 billion people are without access to modern energy services and by providing universal access up to 2 million lives could be saved annually,” said IIASA Director, Detlof von Winterfeldt. He added that according to the GEA the cost of providing modern energy access for all was not only achievable but affordable in the medium term: “This access will achieve enormous co-benefits in terms of air quality and related health issues, climate change, and gender equity, to name just a few.”

The discussion on these topics served to propose an international architecture on how to ensure universal energy access and reduce energy intensities. It also helped map the related work of key stakeholders and define their roles and responsibilities. Based on this mapping, the development of an action-oriented roadmap will be initiated.

Johannes Kyrle, Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs said that the Energy Forum was special to Austria because it could draw on the wealth of knowledge and connections of eight international organizations headquartered in and around Vienna who have significant or exclusive energy mandates. “I expect the Vienna Energy Forum to mobilize political support for the energy access agenda, underscoring that energy access is necessary for poverty reduction and that access and climate stabilization can be pursued in mutually re-enforcing ways,” he said.

The event coincided with the pre-launching of the Global Energy Assessment.

Vienna Energy Conference 2011-UNIDO and UN-Energy is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

You will need one laptop, one ipad 2, the application facetime and a wireless internet connection.

Place your laptop in your room in front of said children. Make sure it is attached to the electricity supply or you wont be out long.
You will need to put a light on in the room, or the camera in your laptop will not see your sleeping children.

Once set up, switch brightness down to the lowest setting, your monitor will now look as though it is off. In the meantime open FaceTime on your iPad and call yourself, the laptop’s FaceTime will ring. It may not work immediately but after a short pause it will.

Answer your call on the laptop, you may have to switch on the brightness momentarily. Careful that your iPad is not too close to your laptop as the feedback will be nasty.

Make sure you press “mute” on your ipad so not to allow the children to hear you. If they do wake suddenly one of you can talk to them, this is done by deactivating “mute” as the other quickly returns to the room.

All done? Now you are free to walk off with your iPad around the hotel and test.

I tested the area first to know where the weak areas of wifi were or any blackout spots.
If you cannot get to the bar or restaurant with an intact signal, one of you will have to stay in the room and call the other once they are in position. 

I like to have the baby matress monitor on, as it has a light, this is useful as you can see the light flashing so it gives you a “realtime” perspective and you know the picture has not frozen.

That’s it! Good luck and have a nice evening.

Ipad and facetime… I spy with my little eye… Baby monitor! is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

Creative images won this contract in November 2010, it  was a long project and very complex. Please look at the posters below for further information. Printing is currently in process and the project will be delivered on March 31st.

First Aid Kit for use by First responders in addressing Human Trafficking is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images

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ISPO & FLEXFIT 2011 – Day 03/04 is a post from: Chris Plant, creative images