By Kiara Kealoha, HGG Global Outreach Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Summit, June 3-5 2019
The Hague, Netherlands
Hawaii Green Growth joined some 2,000 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and other participants at the 9th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which was held June 3rd – 5th at the World Forum in The Hague. This year’s GES was jointly organized by the United States of America and the Netherlands and was inspired by the theme of “The Future Now.” The Summit covered a range of topics, including resilient cities, innovations across the energy-water-food nexus, healthcare solutions, and women in entrepreneurship. The Summit’s energetic spirit of collaboration, local-global connectivity, and sustainable development set an optimistic tone for participants committed to driving urgent, positive action toward a more resilient future for all.
HGG’s Global Outreach Associate Kiara Kealoha had the opportunity to tell the story of Hawai‘i’s plan for a more resilient Island Earth at the Summit’s Resilient Islands Workshop. The workshop featured bright spots from the islands of Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, and Hawai‘i in order to highlight the unique position that islands can play as test beds for innovative solutions to global challenges. The lessons that HGG was able to share from the Aloha+ Challenge, as well as from its role as a Local2030 Island Hub were relevant and insightful for the workshop’s other participants, many of whom were looking to create similar frameworks and foster cross-sector collaboration in their own island communities. Moreover, HGG’s messages of aloha ‘āina, mālama honua, and he nohona ‘ae‘oia resonated across the packed workshop, demonstrating that island cultures and values can bring together communities across the globe.
The workshop concluded with an exciting call to bring together island innovators ahead of next year’s GES (March 12 – 13 2020). Every step that is taken to highlight and share the story of island innovation, not only between island communities, but also on a global stage, is crucial to furthering the development, implementation, and scaling of island models for resilience. HGG looks forward to continuing collaboration with our island brothers and sisters across the globe, uplifting island innovations, and working towards a more integrated, inclusive, and resilient Island Earth.
