The 19th of June the Commission, on behalf of the European Union, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) signed a “Letter of Intent” (LoI) expressing their willingness to cooperate on the implementation of the African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) Innovation Agenda. The signing ceremony took place in the margins of the High-Level Meeting between the European Commission and UNEP, which was convened on the same day.
The joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda, currently in the process of adoption, aims to strengthen the cooperation on research and innovation (R&I) between Europe and Africa, by fostering the translation of R&I into products, services, businesses and jobs, in both continents. This Agenda includes four objectives, articulated into short-, medium- and long-term actions across the four priority areas of the AU-EU cooperation in R&I, such as (i) Public Health, (ii) Green Transition, (iii) Innovation & Technology and (iv) Capacities for Science, in addition to (v) Cross-cutting issues.
This LoI represents the outcome of a dialogue initiated by the Commission with several International and UN Organisations, with a view to identifying potential collaboration avenues towards the implementation of this Innovation Agenda. The LoI foresees the collaboration between the EU and UNEP, also in partnership with third party organisations such as the AU, on several innovation-focused initiatives, especially, though not exclusively, in the Green Transition, such as wastewater management.
The LoI was signed by Ms Maria Cristina Russo, Director for Global Approach and International Cooperation in Research and Innovation at the European Commission, and Ms Sonja Leighton-Kone, Director of UNEP’s Corporate Service Division, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
Source: European Commission | Research and Innovation (https://rb.gy/9hvgw)