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]

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.