UNESCAP, Islamic Development Bank Sign Landmark Agreement

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has launched 'Engage', a new digital platform to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IsDB President Dr. Bandar Hajjar announced the launch together with UN Under-Secretary-General of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Dr. Shamshad Akhtar and Dr. Hayat Sindi, Chief Scientific Advisor to IsDB. Engage offers three main services: Match Making, Technology Transfer and Call for Innovation. The platform will focus on six SDGs, food security, healthier lives, inclusive and equitable education, sustainable management of water, access to affordable and clean energy, and sustainable industrialisation across the developing world. IsDB has also established a new Fund, the Transform Fund, which will finance innovative ideas linked to development solutions. A landmark Memorandum of Understanding was signed between IsDB and ESCAP to build a global network of scientists, technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs and investors to achieve sustainable development.