The Green Growth Knowledge Platform's vastly expanded website launches today with a commitment of 1.6 million Swiss francs from the Government of Switzerland and 29 international knowledge partners behind it, as Amanda McKee reports from Geneva.

A state-of-the-art knowledge-sharing platform was launched today by the  Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), a diverse consortium of leading institutions and organisations working on green growth and green economy issues – to which CDKN belongs.

The website responds to increasing demand from both policy makers and the public for information on ways to achieve sustainable economic growth.

Like the GGKP itself, the website – which features a searchable e-library with over 600 technical and policy resources, as well as dashboards with data and policies for 193 countries – transcends the traditional divide between economy and the environment.

It brings together knowledge, experience and support from disparate partners in both the global economic and environmental arenas, all of which share the common goal of accelerating green growth.

“The GGKP is quickly emerging as the leading platform for managing and sharing knowledge around green growth and its new web platform will help to empower others”, said Howard Bamsey, Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

He added: “Through world-class knowledge management, the GGKP is able to provide decision makers with the policy analysis, guidance, information and tools necessary to support a green economy transition.”

The Geneva-based GGKP also confirmed a CHF 1.6 million (US $1.7 million), three-year commitment from the Swiss government.

The pledge bolsters the initiative’s existing support from its founding partners: the GGGI, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank. The GGKP’s Geneva-based office will be jointly managed by the GGGI and UNEP.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: "The Green Growth Knowledge Platform provides a much needed tool to bridge knowledge gaps, exchange information and deliver policy guidance to accelerate and support the transition towards green economic development."

"A transformation towards a green economy is not just about the environment. It must be a priority across all facets of the post-2015 development agenda in order to deliver growth and prosperity and improved livelihoods. Achieving this goal rests on the integration of social, economic and environmental goals in public and private decision making, emphasizing a holistic and far-sighted approach", he added.

Green growth – meaning a path of economic growth which uses natural resources sustainably and works towards a global green economy – is a rapidly developing field encompassing aspects of science, global trade and investments, job creation and other areas.

Ari Huhtala, CDKN's Deputy Chief Executive for Policy and Programmes, in Geneva for the GGKP launch, said: "CDKN supports developing countries in their efforts to shift towards climate compatible options and the GGKP is a very useful instrument in providing theory and practice to decision makers and project developers".

As of January 2014, the GGKP confirms agreements with 29 knowledge partners, including international organizations, research institutes and think tanks.

Moving forward, the GGKP will work with these partners to promote collaboration and coordinated research on a number of priority themes, including green growth indicators and measurement, trade and competitiveness and green technology and innovation.