Source: Cemex S.A.B. de C.V., Monterrey, Mexico
Amid General Assembly of the United Nations meetings in New York City, Cemex officials signed an agreement to join the UN Foundation Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. The public-private partnership seeks to protect the environment and improve local communities’ quality of life by creating a global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions.
“By joining the Alliance, [we] will foster the adoption of cookstoves in Latin America and Asia, strengthening our ongoing corporate social responsibility efforts in these regions and contributing to the well-being of their communities,” said Cemex Chairman Lorenzo Zambrano. The company has worked in the field the past three years, he added, providing sustainable cookstove solutions in tandem with government agencies, social entrepreneurs, academia and nongovernment organizations. The Alliance partnership enables Cemex participation in steering committee and advisory group activities, plus high-level meetings with sister UN organizations and the Clinton Global Initiative.
Launched in 2010 by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Alliance eyes adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels in 100 million households globally by 2020. It advocates for alternatives to open air stoves, whose pollution levels jeopardize individual and community health. The group is “building bridges between the public and private sectors to make the basic but essential act of cooking safe and healthy worldwide,” notes Alliance Executive Director Radha Muthiah.