GWEC and UN Sign Global Compact to Advance Offshore Renewable Energy

Ben Backwell, CEO GWEC, said: “While the world is searching for solutions to the climate emergency, the ocean holds a magnitude of untapped emissions mitigation potential. Offshore wind energy will be vital to achieving large-scale, reliable and affordable renewable energy in all regions of the world. It delivers clean energy, inward investment, economic growth and sustainable jobs at enormous volumes, and as such will form a vital part of ensuring a just energy transition. Climate-smart marine spatial planning can guide the growth of offshore wind, unlocking the sector’s potential to decarbonise energy systems while ensuring the biodiversity of ocean and coastal zones can thrive. With this roadmap, the Global Wind Energy Council is looking forward to working with partners such as the UN Global Compact and IOC-UNESCO to support governments around the world in harnessing offshore wind to accelerate sustainable climate action.”

Julian Barbiere, Head for Marine Policy at IOC UNESCO  said: “MSP offers a practical way to create and establish a more rational use of marine space and the interactions among its uses, to balance demands for development with the need to protect the environment, and to deliver social and economic outcomes in an open and planned way. IOC has been leading this paradigm change by providing technical support to nations since 2005. As more countries embark on MSP processes globally, mainstreaming climate change issues in national plans, creating incentives for climate smart solutions, and integrating the spatial demand for offshore renewable energies becomes a priority for the ocean to play its full role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

About the Ocean Stewardship Coalition:

The UN Global Compact Ocean Stewardship Coalition convenes leading governments, companies, NGOs, academic institutions and UN partners, offering a vital forum for cross-sectoral collaboration to drive action and determine how the ocean, and ocean industries, can deliver on the Paris Agreement and all 17 of the Global Goals. The Coalition promotes a principles-based approach to sustainable ocean business grounded in the Sustainable Ocean Principles, broadening engagement in emerging markets, and Small Island Developing States (SIDs). As a UN Global Compact initiative, the Coalition seeks to bring the voice of the business community to UN processes, including the UN Ocean Conference and UN Climate Change Conference (COP).

More information about the Ocean Stewardship Coalition can be found here. 

About the United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.  Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change.

With more than 13,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. One Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org

Contact

For interview requests, please contact: media@unglobalcompact.org

Alex Gee, UN – gee@unglobalcompact.org
Alex Bath, GWEC – Alex.bath@gwec.net