The UN Office for Partnerships (UNOP) worked with the X PRIZE Foundation, BT Global Services and the John Templeton Foundation to stage the “Incentive to Innovate” Conference which highlighted two essential tools with which to solve today’s challenges: open collaboration and incentivized competition. “Incentive to Innovate” took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 – 9 June 2009 and brought together leaders from the private sector, foundations, NGOs and the United Nations.

This conference was the first of its kind and featured presentations from 35 innovators who shared best practices and detailed how open collaboration and incentivized competition can be used to address world issues in a cost-effective and powerful manner. One such speaker was Don Tapscott, the author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything and Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing the World, who discussed how it is essential for companies to recognize and draw from the talent throughout the developing world.

Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, captured the spirit of both this conference and the mission of the UN Office for Partnerships when she said, “The instinct to compete and to achieve, combined with the better angels of our nature — the instinct to make this a better world.”

There were sessions on healthcare, energy and environment, global development, innovation culture and, finally, ‘connecting the dots’ between all of these areas. Moderators included Matthew Bishop and Michael Green, co-authors of Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World, a book that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg described as, “The definitive guide to a new generation of philanthropists who understand innovation and risk-taking, and who will play a crucial part in solving the biggest problems facing the world”.

The goal of the Conference was to encourage discussion that will lead to fresh ideas and will foster new relationships and partnerships all with the aim of creating a better world for all its citizens. In this respect, public-private partnerships are mutually-advantageous and innovation in the private sector subsequently leads to the increased growth of developing nations and improvements and solutions to global challenges.

The UN Office for Partnerships promotes creative initiatives, such as “Incentive to Innovate”, which contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. UNOP works with the private sector, foundations and philanthropic individuals, among others, to achieve these goals in a way that does not simply provide temporary assistance, but also long-term sustainability.

For more information please visit the Incentive to Innovate conference website or contact Will Kennedy, UN Office for Partnerships.