Paris,
23/24 October 2008 - As the world faces
a rash of challenges needing global solutions
from food shortages to financial market
turbulence, more than 100 leaders from business,
government and non-governmental organizations
convened in Paris on 23-24 October for a
climate change and resource efficiency forum.
This year's Global Business
& Industry Dialogue of the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), co-hosted by
the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC),
took place at ICC's Paris headquarters.
Participants from the
developed and developing world discussed
the current status of climate change negotiations
and how to use the world's resources more
efficiently. Discussions assessed approaches
in different industry sectors and regions
to advance climate mitigation and adaptation.
They also deliberated
on inputs for the Marrakech Process on sustainable
consumption and production. The importance
of lifestyle changes in all regions was
noted as key challenge in the world economy
today.
The meeting is one in
a series of key discussions among business,
government and NGOs in the run-up to negotiating
a new climate change agreement at the United
Nations Conference of the Parties (COP14)
in Poznan, Poland in December and at COP
15 in Copenhagen a year later.
ICC Secretary General
Guy Sebban said: "Economic growth and
open trade are the best conditions necessary
to protect the environment, and environmental
protection is necessary to achieve sustainable
economic growth".
"We must also support
the growth of businesses in the developing
world so they can contribute to this monumental
global effort."
UNEP Executive Director
Achim Steiner said: "The credit crunch
and the ecological crunch are timely reminders
of the urgent need to move from a throw-away
society and towards a resource-efficient
society. Governments must be brave in agreeing
on collective solutions, while business
must be bold in introducing new business
models that use our resources more sustainably."
ICC is the focal point
for business and industry in the negotiations
taking place under the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
UNEP and ICC have hosted
joint industry meetings since 1984. The
Commission on Energy and Environment of
ICC has long experience in developing policies
and practical tools to encourage best environmental
practices, including a Charter for sustainable
development widely used by world business.
The mission of UNEP
is to provide leadership and encourage partnership
in caring for the environment by inspiring,
informing, and enabling nations and peoples
to improve their quality of life without
compromising that of future generations.
UNEP has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya,
and regional offices in Africa, Asia and
the Pacific, West Asia, Europe, North America,
Latin America and the Caribbean. The UNEP
Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
(UNEP DTIE) is the division within UNEP
responsible for working with business and
industry. Situated in Paris and Geneva,
UNEP DTIE reaches out through the regional
offices of UNEP as well as its International
Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) in
Osaka, Japan
Further Resources
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change
The UNEP Division of Technology, Industry
and Economics
The International Environmental Technology
Centre
