Statement Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development Award Ceremony During the 13th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development

The Seed initiative has used its international awards program, capacity-building activities and research and learning program, to make a real difference in our collective efforts to achieve development goals. We are pleased to be a member of this unique initiative.

Through its efforts with locally driven partnerships, its core partners and associate network the Seed initiative is well positioned to play a more vibrant and visible role in advancing partnership implementation within the UN and in other international fora. This includes assisting in the preparations for a Third Partnerships Forum.

Tonight’s winners were chosen from an impressive class of Seed finalists, and I would like to offer my congratulations to the finalists as well. You truly exemplify the fresh new approach to sustainable development launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The partnerships we are celebrating this evening are vital to delivering needed services, breaking the cycles of poverty, violence lack of hope, and ultimately raising the quality of people’s lives.

Each of you offers proof that individuals from local communities can create innovative solutions to the sustainable development challenges they face. In doing so, you help us all advance the implementation of internationally agreed development goals.

Whether through the adoption of environmentally friendly rice practices in South and East Asia, to putting "berries into business," to the "Cows to Kilowatts" initiative in Nigeria, each of the Seed winners is helping to address important issues in the developing world.

These partnerships are encouraging the involvement of local stakeholders from their communities. This bottom-up approach improves governance and promotes the democratic processes by increasing citizen participation.