South-South Expo opens in Vienna, showcases energy solutions 

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The fifth annual Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) will open at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna on November 19.

The five-day event will showcase and promote concrete innovative solutions that demonstrate how governments and civil societies from the South are expanding access to energy, while also combating climate change, global health pandemics and the lack of social protection for vulnerable populations.

The GSSD Expo 2012 is hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in conjunction with more than 20 UN agencies and partners.

At the opening ceremony, statements will be made by John W. Ashe, President of the General Assembly High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation; Mourad Benmehidi, Chair of the Group of 77; Veronica Sion, Ecuador Minister of Industry and Productivity; Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director-General of UNIDO; Rebeca Grynspan, Associate Administrator of UNDP; Kris M. Balderston, Special Representative for Global Partnerships, Global Partnership Initiative, Office of the US Secretary of State; and Yiping Zhou, Director, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.