Suggestions
Alfred Watkins
Chairman at Global Solutions Summit
Alfred Watkins is the Founder and Chairman of the Global Solutions Summit (GSS), an organization that promotes the large-scale deployment of financially sustainable, disruptive technological solutions to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in emerging markets.13
Professional Background
Prior to founding GSS, Watkins had an extensive career at the World Bank, where he worked for over 23 years. During his time there, he served for more than six years as the World Bank's Science and Technology Program Coordinator and head of the World Bank's Science, Technology, and Innovation Global Expert Team.12 In these roles, he gained significant experience in leading science, technology, and innovation capacity building programs and projects in various countries, including Rwanda, Ghana, Vietnam, Malaysia, and several nations in the Former Soviet Union.1
Current Roles and Appointments
In addition to his position at GSS, Watkins has held several other notable roles:
- Member of the Governing Council of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2017 and reappointed for a second term in January 2020.13
- Senior Advisor to the Global Technology Deployment Initiative.4
- Senior Director of the P80 Group Foundation.4
Academic and Early Career
Before his work at the World Bank, Watkins served as:
- An assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.12
- A legislative assistant/staff economist in the U.S. Congress, including work for then-Congressman Charles E. Schumer.13
Global Solutions Summit
Under Watkins' leadership, the Global Solutions Summit has organized several high-profile events, including:
- Summits at the US Department of State (2014), the Clinton Presidential Library (2016), and UN Headquarters in New York City (2018 and 2019).1
- A panel titled "From Results in the Lab to Results on the Ground" at the 2021 Nobel Prize Summit, "Our Planet Our Future," by invitation from the Nobel Foundation.13
Watkins' work with GSS focuses on strategies to promote the deployment of commercially viable, financially sustainable development solutions in areas such as potable water, renewable energy, information and communications technology, healthcare, housing, sustainable agriculture, and food processing.2
Highlights
Global Solutions Summit 2023 Synthesis and Summary
The Synthesis and Summary of Global Solutions Summit (GSS) 2023, which convened on May 5 at the United Nations in New York City, is now available on the Global Solutions Summit website https://lnkd.in/eAK4UGaK and the UN Website https://lnkd.in/eFp4QbhT .
Please pass this information along to your friends and colleagues.
Thank you. #globalsolutionssummit #unstiforum #sdgs #sdgs2030 #sti #sti4sdgs
Global Solutions Summit 2023
I am pleased to report that Global Solutions Summit (GSS) 2023 https://lnkd.in/eAK4UGaK convened at UN Headquarters on May 5 as a designated Associated Event alongside the 8th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs https://lnkd.in/eiRdzRFd and STI in Africa Day 2023 https://lnkd.in/ezqRE9Dc. The theme of GSS 2023 was “Leveraging the Diaspora, Youth, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) to Harness STI for the SDGs by 2030.”
The UN WebTV recording of the GSS proceedings, along with speaker bios, speaker presentations, the GSS 2023 Program, and the GSS 2023 Concept Note are now available on the GSS website https://lnkd.in/eAK4UGaK as well as the UN website https://lnkd.in/eFp4QbhT . #stiforum #africa #sdgs #sdgs2030 #globalsolutionssummit
