Geneva, 8 April
2010 - More than 600 experts from 75 countries
gather in Geneva today to consider the social
and environmental impacts of transitioning
to a green economy.
Delegates to the 30th
Annual Conference of the International Association
for Impact Assessment (IAIA), hosted by
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), will look at the five sectors that
have been identified as key green investment
opportunities: agriculture, industry, tourism,
cities and transportation.
"When they met
in Bali two months ago, the world's environment
ministers emphasized that the full impacts
of green economy policies should be assessed,
including environmental, social and economic
aspects,'' said Achim Steiner, UN Under
Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.
"Professionals
involved in impact assessments thus have
an important role to play in delivering
more intelligent and sustainable choices
to their customers and clients including
governments, business, local authorities
and civil society: choices that can direct
investments to fit local, national and regional
needs while addressing the broad agenda
of low carbon, resource efficient development,
poverty eradication and higher levels of
decent employment," he added.
One of the key goals
of the conference - hosted for the first
time by a UN agency - is to present the
tools and methods that will help countries
to assess and identify which green investments
to make.
Speaking in Geneva,
Nick Taylor, President of the IAIA, said
delegates at the six-day meeting would share
their ideas and insights on how impact assessment
can address a complex range of global issues.
"A growing field
of expertise, impact assessment can evaluate
the linkages between investments and the
environment, health, job creation, economic
diversification and poverty reduction. This
forum comes at a time when there's heightened
interest in the potential of impact assessments,
so it's vital experts exchange information
and contribute to a growing body of knowledge,"
Mr Taylor said.
UNEP's flagship Green
Economy Report, to be released later in
the year, will present in-depth assessments
of 10 sectors based on economic analysis
and modelling. Three of the report's chapter
authors will be on hand at the conference
to share some of the report's preliminary
analysis.
Speakers at the conference
include Mr Steiner; Mrs Michèle Künzler,
State Council, Republic and State of Geneva;
Mr Gérard Poffet, Vice-Director,
Swiss Federal office for the Environment,
and Mr Taylor. Keynote addresses will be
given by Dr Lars Lundquist, who leads research
and development activities related to environmental
assessment of packing and products at the
Nestle Research Centre, and Dr Per Sandberg,
a managing director and leader of the Vision
2050 project at the World Business Council
for Sustainable Development.
The conference, held
at the International Conference Centre Geneva
(CICG), will be attended by impact assessment
practitioners, international experts and
policymakers from industry, governments,
consultancies, donor agencies, NGOs and
academia. The conference closes on Sunday.
Notes to Editors:
UNEP's Green Economy
Initiative
Led by UNEP, the Green
Economy Initiative (GEI) of the UN is designed
to assist governments in "greening"
their economies by reshaping and refocusing
policies, investments and spending towards
a range of sectors, such as clean technologies,
renewable energies, water services, green
transport, waste management and sustainable
agriculture and forests.
As the governments around
the world are devising responses to the
challenges posed by financial, economic,
food, fuel and climate crises, the GEI offers
convincing macroeconomic evidence and technical
advice for focusing policy and investment
packages on key economic sectors as a means
of stimulating economic development, creating
jobs and addressing poverty, while reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, extracting and
using less natural resources and creating
less waste.
See: www.unep.org/greeneconomy
International Association
for Impact Assessment
The International Association
for Impact Assessment (IAIA) is a global
network for best practice in the use of
impact assessment for informed decision
making regarding policies, programs, plans
and projects.
IAIA was organized in
1980 to bring together researchers, practitioners,
and users of various types of impact assessment
from around the world. IAIA has more than
1,600 members from over 120 countries representing
many disciplines and professions. Its members
include corporate planners and managers,
public interest advocates, government planners
and administrators, private consultants
and policy analysts, university and college
teachers and their students.
IAIA activities seek
to (1) develop approaches and practices
for comprehensive and integrated impact
assessment; (2) improve assessment procedures
and methods for practical application; (3)
promote training of impact assessment and
public understanding of the field; (4) provide
professional quality assurance by peer review
and other means, and (5) share information
networks, timely publications, and professional
meetings.
See: www.iaia.org
For further information,
please contact: Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
and Head of Media
Moira O'Brien-Malone, Head, DTIE Communications,
UNEP Paris
