At Two-Year Anniversary, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Details Progress in Enabling Market to Save and Transform Millions of Lives

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In just the last year, the Alliance and its partners’ work will ensure that our motto, cooking shouldn’t kill, becomes a reality.

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 25, 2012

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves celebrated its two-year anniversary yesterday with a host of announcements that combined are instrumental toward accomplishing its mission to create a global market for clean, safe, and efficient cooking technologies. The Alliance also released its second year report detailing progress in the areas of market development, research, outreach, standards and testing, and more.

“The clean cookstoves and fuels sector has never been more cohesive or more prepared to tackle this silent killer. The commitment of others to join us in this endeavor is evident in the Alliance’s growth to 400-plus partners and the wide-spread support for our plan to scale toward our 100 by 20 goal,” said Radha Muthiah, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. “In just the last year, the Alliance and its partners’ work to analyze markets, develop new standards, commission research, drive investments, and create country action plans will ensure that our motto, cooking shouldn’t kill, becomes a reality.”

World leaders from civil society, the private sector, and the philanthropic community as well as research pioneers and government representatives came together today to discuss the multiple facets of the household air pollution issue, and to make major new announcements on behalf of the Alliance, its partners, and the sector, including:

• The Alliance’s first priority countries for immediate engagement: Bangladesh, China, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda;
• An initial $2 million for the Alliance Spark Fund to support capacity building for entrepreneurs in the sector;
• The Soros Economic Development Fund and the Industrialization Fund for Developing Countries’ almost $9 million investment in CleanStar Mozambique, an Alliance partner working on an innovative ethanol fuel program, and the formation of a new Africa clean cooking incubator by CleanStar Ventures and Novozymes;
• Former Irish president Mary Robinson and Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson joining the Alliance’s new Leadership Council;
• A loan guarantee mechanism supported by the Swedish government to drive sector investment;
• World Lung Foundation’s partnership and support for Alliance child health research;
• Newest Alliance Ambassador Rocky Dawuni, the Ghanaian international music star; and
• The integration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Partnership for Clean Indoor Air with the Alliance.

More information on the Alliance’s achievements on behalf of its Secretariat, partners, and the broader sector can be found in the second year report.

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Media Contact:
Sean Bartlett | sbartlett(at)cleancookstoves(dot)org | +1.202.683.0453

About the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public-private partnership led by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and combat climate change by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. The Alliance’s 100 by ‘20 goal calls for 100 million households to adopt clean and efficient cookstoves and fuels by 2020. The Alliance is working with its public, private and non-profit partners to help overcome the market barriers that currently impede the production, deployment, and use of clean cookstoves in developing countries. For more information, please visit http://www.cleancookstoves.org.

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