Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 08 May 2016 - UNDP Administrator Helen Clark will provide a keynote speech during the Islamic Development Bank’s (IsDB) Governors’ Forum. The Forum will take place on 18 May 2016, during the IsDB Annual Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia (15-19 May 2016).

The IsDB Governors’ Forum is a discussion platform for finance ministers from IsDB member countries and other global experts. The aim of the Forum is to deliberate on topical development challenges facing member countries and to suggest practical solutions.

The theme for the Forum this year is “Leveraging Innovation for Sustainable Development in IsDB Member Countries.” After her keynote speech, Ms. Helen Clark will join the finance ministers of Egypt, Senegal, Turkey and Pakistan for a panel discussion on the theme of the Forum. Veteran journalist and Emerging Markets Editor of CNN International, Mr. John Defterios, will serve as the moderator.

“Ms. Helen Clark is an astute administrator and an advocate for development intervention in education, health and improving governance structures around the world. She has vigorously contributed in the global effort to eradicate poverty through the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of IsDB Group.

“Strengthening innovation in our member countries is a top priority for IsDB. I thank Ms. Clark for being part of the IsDB Annual Meeting in Jakarta,” Dr. Ahmad Ali stated.
“Innovation is about using the most up-to-date concepts and means available to get the best development results”, said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. “At UNDP we are seeing more and more governments embracing innovation as a way of accelerating development and making it more participatory.”

After the Governors’ Forum, the President of IsDB, Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, and Ms. Helen Clark will sign an MoU with a joint action plan in order to strengthen the collaboration between the two leading development institutions.

During the IsDB Annual Meeting in Jakarta, UNDP will participate in ten side events on various topics that seek to address the challenges of the 21st century. Some of the side events include: Workshop on Innovation Tools for Youth Entrepreneurship; Responding to Countries in Conflict and Fragility; Advancing Islamic Impact Investing for the Achievement of the SDGs, and the 11th Global Forum on Islamic Finance: Role of Islamic Finance in Achieving SDGs, among others.

Note to editors:
About IsDB:
IsDB is a multilateral development bank with headquarters in Jeddah, KSA. It consists of 57 member countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. The purpose of the bank is to foster the economic development and social progress in its member countries, and Muslim communities in non-member countries. The Bank has regional offices in Kuala Lampur (Malaysia), Rabat (Morocco), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Dakar (Senegal), and several gateway offices and field representatives in different parts of the
world.

About UNDP:
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

Contacts:
IsDB:
Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u
Email: myushau@isdb.org
Office: +966126466492
Mobile: +966591188844

UNDP:
Christina LoNigro
Email: Christina.lonigro@undp.org
Office: +1 212 906 5301
Mobile: +1 917 607 9446