Rio+20 Portal

Sharing Natural, Financial and Knowledge-based Resources

Towards New Progress for Humankind and Innovation Opportunities

European Conference, 21st December 2011, 09:00 – 17:30

Venue: European Economic and Social Committee,

Jacques Delors Building, Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Brussels

This conference plans to address how leaders[1], front runners[2] and champions[3] of the green economy and sustainability agenda can get organized, thanks to friendly cooperation and networking. Its aim is to enable more ‘efficient’ collaboration and ‘scale up’ successful partnership initiatives in Europe and in the world to share natural, financial and knowledge-based resources with a view to move towards greater security, prosperity and well-being.

We will focus on how to reinforce the ‘web of solidarity and social innovation’ now in place, and will address actions launched by public and private economic actors, from Investors and Companies to Cities, Civil Society groups and households. In particular this conference will aim to look at where there are opportunities to accelerate systemic and technological change through innovative thinking and paradigm shifts. Today’s innovators are showing how to create a different future by learning how to see the larger systems of which they are part and to foster collaboration across every imaginable boundary.[4]

Background

This is a time for more ‘Eco-innovation’ and ‘Sustainability Innovation’ addressing systemic, technological and financial innovation as well as societal innovation. The Brussels Conference 2011 will focus on how to reinforce the now-established ‘web of solidarity and social innovation’, highlighted by the 1991 Paris Conference[5]. It will also address actions launched by public and private economic actors, from Investors and Companies to Cities, Civil Society groups and households to innovate, accelerate change, Whether Rio+20 will contribute to restructuring the global economy is still a big question.

What is the role of Europe, it’s policy makers, businesses and citizens in ensuring that Rio+20 is a success? The actual and potential damage to the global economy as a consequence of ongoing and unabated climate change, continuous loss of biodiversity and diminished functioning of ecosystems, inequalities and inequity constitutes a grave threat to society globally. Scientific evidence about the need to act and the related policy recommendations about how to act effectively are well-established and well-documented. They have come to constitute a formidable political challenge at global level. The scope and nature of the costs resulting from the actual and potential damage affecting society and our ecosystems across a very wide range of issues leave no doubt about the need for action now and the acceleration of radical change.

And yet it appears extremely difficult to move at ‘wartime speed off the environmental decline path before the clock runs out[6]’, as suggested by Lester Brown who is reminding us about what was achieved in a few months’ time at the beginning of the Second World War to mobilize the entire US economy. Why can’t we be as ‘efficient’? Why are we in this situation? The answer is that in front of a major crisis, the ‘radical changes’ needed come up against multiple barriers, as the 2008 financial crisis and its management by the G20 have demonstrated time and time again.

Is there a way out? Jean Monnet in his Memoirs on the first year of World War II and Michel Rocard7 on the protection of the Antarctic explain that ‘friendship’ and related networks are the indispensable key factors to overcome diplomatic, political, social, military, economic and financial obstacles. “Just as the force of decline can reinforce each other, so too can the force of progress”, states Lester Brown. This is why we are proposing to European sustainability leaders, champions and front runners to meet in December 2011 and leverage together their ‘soft power’ to make Rio+20 a stage of progress for humankind and the resources essential for our survival.

Leveraging soft power can be done by building on ‘friendship’, networks and skills to engineer ‘transformative partnerships’[8]. With the manifold ongoing local authorities, private sector and civil society initiatives have demonstrated that Europe is a front runner in new systems approaches to global resilience. Over the past twenty years, “bottom-up” leadership has made significant progress. As a follow-up to the process initiated at Rio 1992 with “Agenda 21”, thousands of initiatives have flourished all over the world at local level, initiated by citizens, companies and local authorities. But this ‘empowerment’ and this myriad of initiatives have not been able so far to go fast enough to reduce security risks due to continued resource depletion.

Europe’s ‘soft power’ in the 21st century will depend on our ability to demonstrate worldwide that the EU is a ‘web of sustainability poles’, a ‘place for eco-innovators’, a ‘key player’ and an ‘indispensable’ partner in the global value chain to contribute to a green economy.

Today’s innovators are showing how to create a different future by learning how to see the larger systems of which they are part and to foster collaboration across every imaginable boundary.[9] The Brussels Conference of December 2011 will highlight in particular how Europeans could :

• share intelligence ( SHARE);
• contribute to the transition towards a green economy in the context of poverty alleviation in Europe and in the world;
• seek to mobilize private capital;
• explore new partnerships in several fields such as resource efficiency, oceans, green procurement , transition towns, millennium consumption goals;
• address the rights and responsibilities of Market Actors, from Companies and Public Authorities to Citizens, in a Global Economy in a Knowledge-sharing, Open Innovation and Networking Age;
• support a Convention on Corporate Sustainability Reporting at Rio+20
• scale up success practices and move from niche market to mainstream market (PEP21).

The Brussels December 21st conference will take place after the New York December 15th-16th Earth Summit 2012 Intersessional and prior the January 16th-18th, 2012 meeting to discuss the content of the zero draft document. The December 21st Conference focused on the leverage role of European political, economical, social leaders, champions and front runners of sustainability will also provide valuable input to the EESC conference Go sustainable! Be responsible! on 7/8 February 2012 on European civil society contributions to Rio+20.

PROGRAMME (DRAFT)

• 09:00-10:30 Plenary session
  • Welcome address
  • Mr. Staffan Nilsson, President of EESC (confirmed)
  • An exemplary, accelerating and partnering Europe
  • Mr. Tom Vereijken on behalf of the Resource Efficiency Alliance (confirmed)
  • What to expect from Rio+20 and the need for leadership and political will
  • Mr. Brice Lalonde, UN Rio+20 Executive Coordinator (confirmed)
  • Support to European Front Runners of the Green economy – The role of the European Union
  • Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (agreed in principle)
  • JOINT PHOTOGRAPH with participants
• 10:30-11:30 Reception. Coffee Break
  • Leaders, Champions and Front Runners of the Green Economy and Sustainability
  • Agenda introduced to the EU Institutions Leaders
• 11:30-13:00 Parallel sessions
  • Workshop 1: Sharing Scarce Natural Resources. How Europe’s Champions of the Global Sustainable Material Value Chain Management can contribute to the success of Rio+20.
    • Chair: Economic and Social Committee
    • State of play: Mrs. Sylvie Lemmet, UNEP Director (confirmed)
    • Mr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Chair of the UNEP Panel Resource (confirmed)
    • Mr. Kjetil Ebbesberg, Vice-President, Hydro (confirmed)
    • Prof. Michael Scoullos, Europe and the Oceans and Marine Rio+20 Agenda (confirmed)
    • Mrs. Leida Rijnhout, Millennium Consumption Goals (confirmed)
    • ——–, Orée, Companies accounting for biodiversity and ecosystem services (confirmed)
    • Mr. Walter Stahel Geneva Association, taxation in a time of austerity (confirmed)
    • Debate with participants

• • Workshop 2: Sharing Abundant Financial Resources: How Europe’s Responsible
    • Investment Champions can contribute to the success of Rio+20 – Towards a Covenant to mobilize all banks, pension funds and insurance companies.
    • Chair: Sir Graham Watson, MEP, GLOBE- Bee 3 Financing 2020 (confirmed)
    • State of Play: Veerle Van de Weerdt, UNDP (confirmed)
    • Mr. Robin Edme, GLOBE Bee 3 proposals (confirmed)
    • Mr. Chris de Noose, Bank Covenant in support of Europe 2020, European Association of Saving Banks (confirmed)
    • Mr. François Passant, from niche market to mainstream market, Eurosif (confirmed)
    • Mr. Daniel Pentzlin, Sustainable Banking, Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) (confirmed)
    • Debate with participants
• 13:00-14:15 Lunch
• 14:15-15:45 Parallel sessions
  • Workshop 3: Sharing Abundant Knowledge-based and Immaterial Resources: How Europe’s Champions of the Knowledge Economy and Societal Innovation can contribute to the success of Rio+20 – Towards Market Actors’ New Rights and Responsibilities.
    • Chair: Mrs. Jacqueline McGlade, European Environmental Agency Executive Director (confirmed)
    • State of Play: Mr. Pietro Bertazzi, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Coalition, GRI (confirmed)
    • Dr. Günther Bachmann, Director, German Council for Sustainable Development, The German Sustainability Code
    • Mr. Cédric Mullier, Carbon Disclosure Project (confirmed)
    • Mr Patrick Itschert (ETUC Deputy General Secretary) (confirmed)
    • Mrs. Marie-Hélène Aubert, NGOs coalition, Citizens Summit Rio 2012 (confirmed)
    • Mr. Jeremy Wates, EEB (confirmed)
    • Debate with participants
  • Workshop 4: Transition Regions and Towns – The Place for Innovation. How Europe’s Sustainable Regions and Cities can contribute to the success of Rio+20.
    • Chair: President Mrs. Mercedes Bresso, ENVE Committee of Regions (confirmed)
    • European Capital on Biodiversity & Future City Leaders Initiative – ICLEI
    • Mrs. Lucy Neal, Transition Towns Movement (confirmed)
    • Mr. Panos Coroyannakis, The Pact of Islands on behalf of ISLENET – European Islands Network on Energy and Environment
    • Mr. Richard Tuffs, ERRIN – European Regions Research and Innovation Network (confirmed)
    • Mr. Jean-Pierre Hannequart, ACR+, Waste Management (confirmed)
    • Debate with participants
• 16:00-17:30 Plenary session
  • An exemplary, accelerating and partnering Europe
  • Rio+20 and beyond. How we intend to be more ‘efficient’:
  • SHARE and PEP21, by Mr. Gilles Berhault, Comité 21 France (confirmed)
  • Rapporteurs for the four sessions:
  • Workshop 1: Mr. Lionel Platteuw, EUCETSA, The Resource and Energy Efficiency
  • Partnership REP (confirmed)
  • Workshop 2: Mrs. Sandrine Dixson-Declève, the Cambridge Programme for
  • Sustainability Leadership (confirmed)
  • Workshop 3: Mr. Leonardo Rocha, ANPED, EU Civil Society Rio+20, (confirmed).
  • Workshop 4: Mr. Richard Tuffs, ERRIN – European Regions Research and
  • Innovation Network (confirmed)

• CONCLUSIONS
  • Mr. Raymond Van Ermen, European Partners for the Environment (confirmed)
  • Mr. Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment

Notes

1. European leaders: forward-thinking policy or strategy-makers, trust builders.

2. European champions: recipients of awards, developers of successful niche markets or best practices.

3 European front runners: agents of change, eco-innovators, Covenant of Mayors (CoM) signatories.

4 Sence, Smith et al: The Necessary Revolution – How individuals and organizations are working together to create a sustainable world. Ed. Doubleday.

5 1,200 participants from 150 countries adopted the Ya Wanananchi Agenda preparing Rio 1992.

6. Lester Brown: World is on the Edge.

7 Former French Prime Minister, who succeeded with the Australian Prime Minister in launching the process towards the Madrid Treaty, third protocol to the Antarctic Treaty.

8 ‘Transformative Partnerships’ is the theme of cooperation for Rio+20 between ICC, WBCSD and Global Compact.

9 Sence, Smith et al: The Necessary Revolution – How individuals and organizations are working together to create a sustainable world. Ed. Doubleday.