GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS SET TO CONVENE AT THE 4TH ANNUAL SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION FORUM

Climate Action is delighted to announce that Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, leading global economist Lord Nicholas Stern and former Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, will join Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, and a host of global leaders from business and the financial community to discuss green growth at the 2013 Sustainable Innovation Forum.

Organised by Climate Action, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the Sustainable Innovation Forum is recognised as a pivotal business event to take place during the COP proceedings and is supported by a wide selection of leading corporates, government ministries, third-sector institutions, media organisations and thought leaders from the international sustainable development community. The forum will mobilise and connect high-level influencers to share ideas, technologies and solutions to catalyse innovation, facilitate public private partnerships and create positive actions.

The forum, which has previously been hosted in Cancun (2010), Durban (2011) and Doha (2012) will, this year, be hosted at the Intercontinental Hotel, Warsaw, Poland, alongside the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP19).

Debate and discussion will cover a range of pivotal issues within the climate change and sustainability agendas including energy transitions, low carbon infrastructures, technology innovation and transfer, partnerships, and sustainable urban growth.

Speaking about the announcement of a host of world-renowned industry leaders attending this year’s forum, Climate Action’s Chief Executive, Nicholas Henry, explained why the 2013 forum will be especially important:

“Following the landmark report on climate change by the IPCC earlier this month, which stated that we are now 95% certain that humans are the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s, there has never been a more crucial time for the climate change community to come together to define the immediate solutions and actions that can help us progress to a greener and more sustainable economy.

> To match this urgency, we are delighted this year to not only be welcoming some of the most influential opinion formers and thought leaders across the sustainability agenda, but also to be working in strategic partnership with progressive businesses and the International Chamber of Commerce – the largest and most representative business organisation in the world.

> Only working at this level of influence and scale can we ensure positive change and the accelerated adoption of new, clean and green innovations and technologies.”

The forum is privileged to be supported by some of the most innovative and influential members of the global business, technology, finance and energy communities including the European Investment Bank (EIB), Verne Global, Avaya, New Holland Agriculture, the International Finance Corporation, Siemens, the World Energy Council and International Emissions Trading Association.

In addition to those listed above, the forum will include the following speakers in moderated panel debates: Mark Radka, Chief, Energy Branch, UNEP; Jochen Flasbarth, President, German Federal Environment Agency; Farooq Ullah, Executive Director, Stakeholder Forum; Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Scotland; Stephanie Miller, Director, International Finance Corporation; Bard Vegar Solhjell, Minister of Environment, Norway; Gino Van Begin, Secretary General, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI); and Ville Niinisto, Minister of Environment, Finland. A full list of confirmed speakers can also be found at: www.cop19.org/programme/agenda/

Attendance at the forum is strictly restricted to 350 climate and sustainability leaders to ensure the debates are of the highest level. To register interest in attending, C-level delegates should visit the forum’s dedicated website at: www.cop19.org  

About Climate Action

“Climate Action is centred on promoting effective partnerships between the public and private sector and helping create dialogue and knowledge transfer between corporates, international governments and NGOs with the acceleration of the global green economy the ultimate aim.” Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General, & UN Environment Programme Executive Director.

Established in 2007 and headquartered in London, UK, Climate Action has, for the last six years, worked in a unique, contractual partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – the world’s foremost body on environmental protection and stewardship.

Climate Action establishes and builds partnerships between business, government and public bodies to accelerate international sustainable development and advance the ‘green economy’. We do this by providing a global media and events platform across which stakeholders can share knowledge, technologies and expertise, and identify innovative solutions to the challenges faced by climate change and a growing population.

For more information visit: www.climateactionprogramme.org