An 11-country delegation of ambassadors to the UN concluded their five-day visit to Israel on Tuesday with a professional review led by Start-Up Nation Central that highlighted Israeli innovation technology focusing on climate and sustainability solutions.
The high-level diplomats visited the nonprofit organization’s headquarters in Tel Aviv to learn about the strengths of the Israeli innovation ecosystem and how it is addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations.
The delegation included ambassadors to the UN from Argentina, Albania, Croatia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Republic of Korea, Hungary, Nauru, Palau, Samoa and Zambia who participated in a tour hosted by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan.
“One of my main goals at the United Nations has been to illustrate how Israeli innovation is helping people all over the world,” said Erdan. “After spending a week in Israel, the ambassadors were able to see the innovative spirit that is infused throughout the people. Bringing the delegation of ambassadors to Start-Up Nation Central was the perfect way to cap off this trip and I am confident that they will be strong advocates of partnering with Israeli companies in the future, both at the UN and in their home countries.”
During their visit to Start-Up Nation Central, the diplomats received an in-depth review of the Israeli technological innovation ecosystem by CEO Avi Hasson and viewed innovation demos by Israeli start-up companies that showcased their technologies, emphasizing emerging markets partnerships and solutions toward achieving the UN’s SDGs.
“In Israel today, there are over 1,000 companies that offer diverse technological solutions to support global sustainable development in both societal and environmental arenas,” said Hasson. “These technologies provide an answer to the UN’s ambitious goals in the areas of sustainability and can significantly assist in overcoming the global challenges we all share. I urge you to challenge us, the Israeli ecosystem, with your country’s obstacles and together we can offer solutions to address them.”
This year has set numerous hi-tech funding records, pulling in over $25 billion in total, a 136% increase over last year. One of the sectors that enjoyed a heavy financial gain was climate tech.
“By the end of the 2021, the annual investments in Israeli climate tech companies reached $2.2b., exceeding last year’s fundraising record of $1.4b. by 57%,” Shared Uriel Klar, Director of PLANETech. According to the nonprofit innovation community for climate change technologies, a record-setting $2.2 billion has been invested in climate tech startups.
This massive boost to the sector comes on the heels of the climate conference in Glasgow, where Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Israel would become the “climate innovation nation.”