Fair ideas - Green economy and developing countries
17th June. Room: Auditorium, 09:30 - 11:00
Green economy is a major subject for discussion at Rio 2012, but the debate is hindered by skewed information and partial opinion. The more robust evidence and heavily promoted solutions relate to richer countries and players; they involve high technology, big corporations and finance, and national infrastructure. While many are key ‘in the context of poverty reduction’ — a key topic for Rio+20 — much more is needed to enable developing countries to make the transition to green economies that best serve their own people and environmental assets. This session will see a panel of speakers explore state, national and regional perspectives from developing countries and introduce the day’s more specialised sessions.
Speakers
Saleemul Huq (chair), Senior Fellow, Climate Change Group, IIED, UK
Saleem is a Bangladeshi scientist based in London. His work emphasises the links between climate change and sustainable development, with a focus on the perspectives of developing countries. A pioneer in climate change adaptation, Saleem was awarded the Burtoni Award in 2007 for his work in this area. Today, he is the lead author of the chapter on adaptation and mitigation in the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Saleem has also long helped build negotiating capacity and engagement of least developed countries in the UN climate negotiations.
Camilo Capiberibe, Governor, Amapá, Brazil
Camilo was State Deputy for the Brazilian Socialist Party from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, he was elected governor of Amapa state. Born in Santiago, Chile, Camilo graduated in law from the Catholic University of Campinas and studied political science at the University of Montreal in Canada.
Ida Auken, Minister of the Environment, Denmark
Actively involved in Danish politics for many years, Ida is currently the country’s Minister for the Environment. As former Environmental Affairs spokeswoman in the Danish parliament and member of the Energy Policy Committee and the Environment and Regional Planning Committee she has played a vital role in shaping Danish environmental policies since 2007. Ida is a member of the non-partisan think tank Forum Europa and has a strong track record in academia, having taught at the Peoples University in Copenhagen and the Øresund Summer University, and the University of Copenhagen.
Youba Sokona, Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), UN Economic Commission for Africa
As well as leading the ACPC, Youba co-chairs the Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. From 2004 to 2010, he led the Tunisia-based organisation Sahara and Sahel Observatory to improve early warning and monitoring of agriculture, food security and drought in Africa. Youba’s prestigious career has seen him focused on the interface between energy, environment and sustainable development, lecturing, publishing and advising African governments on a range of key related issues.
Serge Tomasi, Development Co-operation Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
As deputy director, Serge helps move forward the new development co-operation agenda of the OECD. He also leads the engagement with the G20 development working group and the green growth and climate change agenda regarding developing countries. Serge, a French national, has devoted his career to international co-operation, working in several positions within various French ministries. He spent four years in Senegal as Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs, and three years in New York as Financial Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations.
Silio Boccanera, London correspondent, GloboNews, Brazil
Silio has been a foreign correspondent for the Brazilian media for more than 30 years, covering events all over the world. He now works mostly for Globonews, the all-news Brazilian television channel, where he participates in two current affairs programmes: Millenium and Sem Fronteiras (Without Borders). He was a moderator in three discussions promoted in Rio de Janeiro by the Brazilian environmental organisation Funbio — the last one just last month at the Forte Copacabana — all with a focus on the economic aspect of environmental issues.