Statsminister Helle Thorning-Schmidts tale ved 3GF-åbningsceremoni, Eigtveds Pakhus, mandag den 21. oktober 2013

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Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the third Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen. I am delighted to see so many prominent representatives from governments, business and organisations here today.

I am particularly pleased to welcome my 3GF partner countries: Republic of Korea, Kenya, Qatar, China, and Mexico. Together we spearhead a global partnership of countries.

We all face different domestic challenges with regard to development, economic growth, environment and climate change. Still, we share this common ambition: To ensure sustainable, green and inclusive growth. And find real and tangible solutions to meet this goal. The 3GF is an increasingly important platform in getting this done.

One example is the “Alliance for Sustainable Energy Trade Initiatives” – the SETI Alliance. The Alliance was launched in 2012 as a direct result of 3GF.
The aim was to promote free trade for goods and services associated with sustainable energy. The project succeeded and products are now available to more people – to the benefit of all.

This year, we hope that 3GF will launch the development of a new food waste protocol, in order to measure global food waste. If we can agree to measure food waste, we may significantly reduce the waste itself. The idea behind this cooperation was first presented at an informal breakfast session at last year’s 3GF.

In other words: With 3GF we have created a platform that delivers. No actor can solve the challenges alone. Governments, investors, companies, civil society and researchers cannot do the job by themselves. We need to collaborate to succeed.

The first regional 3GF meeting took place in Colombia in June. The meeting illustrated the enormous potential of this collaboration. Latin America and the Caribbean is a region with vast renewable, zero-carbon energy resources from geothermal, wind, solar and marine sources. This provides an opportunity for the region to transform its power sector. And for Governments and the private sector to gradually steer away from a fossil-fuel dependant era.

We have taken important steps. Still, much needs to be done. The enormity of the task requires us to change our mindset.

As Albert Einstein once said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used, when we created them.”

We need to think differently. And we need to act differently.

Part of the answer is a gradual transition to a green economy. With an efficient use of resources and with less negative impact on sustainability.

This is why resource efficiency throughout the value chain is at the core of this year’s 3GF. Resource efficiency is also at the heart of Danish policy – to ensure sufficient resources for our production and for the next generation. This is the background for the Danish Government’s newly launched resource strategy that will ensure a high degree of recirculation of materials. Transforming waste into new materials, compost and bioenergy.

Tomorrow, we will be joined by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is preparing for the Climate Summit next year, where high impact action that can catalyse the transformation of the global economy will be central.

The Secretary-General comes to challenge us to step up our work when it comes to public-private partnerships and bring concrete, ambitious deliverables in the form of solutions, commitments and time tables to the Summit. I am sure we will rise to the challenge!

As always, I look forward to stimulating debates here at 3GF. And perhaps most of all; I look forward to the real and concrete results that I am sure will follow from our discussions here at this year’s 3GF.

Thank you.