BIAC Hosts International Green Economy Dialogue Conference

BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami (second from right) and USCIB’s Norine Kennedy (far right) at the Paris Green Economies Dialogue.
BIAC Secretary General Tadahiro Asami (second from right) and USCIB’s Norine Kennedy (far right) at the Paris Green Economies Dialogue.

On November 14, BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, part of USCIB’s global network, welcomed nearly 100 experts from business, governments, OECD, UNEP and key academics to an International Business Green Economies Dialogue conference at the OECD headquarters.

The Paris conference was organized as the second part of a business-led series of discussions in North America, Europe, Asia and South America, in the run-up to the Rio+20 Earth Summit this June. The first conference took place in Washington in October, and two further conferences will be organized during the first half of 2012, one in Japan and one in Brazil, with the active participation of BIAC.

OECD Environment Ministerial to Contribute to Rio+20 Conference

On March 29-30, 2012 OECD environment ministers will discuss the outcome of the OECD Green Growth Strategy by supporting national and international efforts to achieve green growth. Environment ministers will be looking at what green growth means for environmental policy making.

A key part of the meeting will discuss how the Green Growth Strategy can be used by countries with different resource endowments, environmental pressures and states of development. As the OECD Environment Ministerial will take place ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June, the OECD Ministerial will present an excellent opportunity for ministers to make a positive contribution to Rio+20.

The new OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 will be an important input to the ministerial meeting, to which BIAC has actively contributed. BIAC participated in the Global Forum on the Environmental Outlook and submitted comments on four areas identified including climate change, biodiversity, water and the health impacts of pollution, highlighting key business considerations and the proactive contribution that business can make to address these challenges.

BIAC will play an active role at the March 2012 Environment Ministerial and provide direct business input to the discussions.

The Green Economy Dialogue project launched by USCIB, the United States Council Foundation (USCF) and BIAC with support from a range of sponsors and partners, aims to promote a productive approach to greener growth, intending to increase dialogue with governments in the run-up to Rio+20 and to share business views. In addition, the project involves commissioning a number of peer-reviewed, academic papers on various aspects of green growth and green economy to inform the debate leading up to Rio+20 and going forward after the event.

The Paris conference focused on green growth carried out by the OECD including specific sessions on green growth for development and job creation, policy instruments, energy and resource efficiency. Sessions included presentations of key academics, followed by reactions from experts from business, national governments and international organizations. It was highlighted that green growth policies should help maximize growth across the economy, with necessary investments to progress it further.

Many governments highlighted the importance of flexible bottom-up approaches and partnerships as a way forward.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

More on USCIB’s Environment Committee

Staff Contact:   Norine Kennedy

Senior VP, Policy and Global Strategy
Tel: 212.703.5052

Norine Kennedy promotes U.S. business participation in international environmental policy and management initiatives, and works closely with industry, government and NGOs to promote sustainable development and green growth. She also spearheads USCIB’s strategic international engagement initiative, which seeks to advance meaningful business participation and regulatory diplomacy in inter-governmental organizations.
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