ROCKY DAWUNI Joins the UN Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves Conference in Ghana, West Africa

March 21, 2016

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1458944387110{margin-top: 30px !important;}”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Ghanaian Reggae and Afro Roots star and UN Foundation Ambassador for Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, Rocky Dawuni, joined the second Alliance Observation and Learning trip to Ghana, West Africa in April 2014. The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public-private partnership that seeks to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. He traveled with the leading executives of the Alliance including Executive Director, Radha Muthiah, as well as Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Leslie Cordes. They met with various stakeholders in Ghana in the Cookstoves and  Energy sector; traveling around the country to observe projects underway.   Dawuni and the delegation were also joined by the US Ambassador to Ghana, Gene Cretz, at a colorful reception held in Accra, Ghana.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHL2QwFdtwY”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves announced that Ghanaian football legend Stephen Appiah will become the Alliance’s newest Ambassador. Appiah will join a distinguished group of current Ambassadors, including Academy Award-winning actor Julia Roberts, chef Jose Andres and musician Rocky Dawuni. The announcement comes at the conclusion of a successful Ghana National Clean Cookstoves and Fuels Conference, during which more than 100 government, business and NGO representatives gathered to continue progress toward the goal of 100 million households adopting clean cooking solutions by 2020. Stephen Appiah was able to join the Alliance for this important convening in Accra.

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public-private partnership hosted by the UN Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women and protect the environment 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.

Excerpt from Radha Muthia’s overview speech during the recent conference in Ghana:

“We are here today because we each believe, with conviction, that cooking shouldn’t kill. But we know that in reality, the seemingly simple act of cooking a meal constitutes one of the most significant health and environmental challenges in the world today.  As the World Health Organization just announced last month, this challenge is responsible for the premature loss of 4.3 million lives every year from diseases associated with exposure to smoke and has gone unnoticed by many in the global community for far too long.   HAP is the 4th highest health risk in the world, and kills more people than AIDS, TB and Malaria combined!

In Ghana, exposure to open fires and traditional cookstoves is responsible for the premature deaths of tens of thousands of Ghanaians and constitutes the third leading cause of death in Ghana.

Cooking is essential. It shouldn’t be lethal.

We’ve been working together for two years now and we have seen real growth in this market due strong partnerships among many here and our collective  expertise in deploying culturally-sensitive, clean, safe, accessible and affordable clean cooking solutions. We’re doing well and project to be at about three quarters of a million of improved and clean cookstoves by the end of 2014 and well on our way to 4m by 2020. I know that our name is Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves but in reality we are focused on more than just stoves.  We are focused on the entire spectrum of cooking solutions from fuels, to stoves, to heat retention devices.

……..So for all these reasons and more, I know that the goals we have set are quite achievable.  And it’s not just achievable because of the passion and expertise that exists among the actors in the Ghanaian clean cooking sector. You only need to look to the nation’s history and role in West Africa  to see what is possible when you join together, stand up, speak out and say “it’s time to make a change for the better

And I want you to know that the Global Alliance is and will always be a willing and able partner in this journey we are on together to 2020.” [/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-2″ el_class=”social-shares”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_btn title=”DONATE TODAY” style=”flat” shape=”square” color=”turquoise” size=”lg” align=”center” css_animation=”appear” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fcleancookstoves.org%2Fdonate%2F||” button_block=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1458944483758{margin-top: 30px !important;}”][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”sidebar-1″ el_class=”sidebar”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_id=”contact”][vc_column el_class=”contact”][vc_custom_heading text=”MAKE CONTACT” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:44|text_align:center|line_height:1.5″ google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_separator color=”custom” el_width=”30″ accent_color=”#fcd019″][vc_custom_heading text=”Doggy izzle sheezy a mammasay mammasa mamma oo sa fo mollis. Shit odio. Nam cool. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:22|text_align:center|line_height:1.5″ google_fonts=”font_family:Lato%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”]

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