Global Humanitarian Forum Geneva - Conference Day One, 24-25 June 2008

ecostory 40/2008

Programm 24-25 June Wednesday, 25 June

Discussion between professor Jeffrey Sachs and EU commissioner Javier Solana on growth and technology (part transcript)

This is Jesse Mike, a young climate change witness from the Nunavut, Canada, telling of the death of her friend because of thin ice that shouldn't have been thin.

Jesse Mike was one of the five young witnesses, from Brazil, Canada, India, Togo, and the Marshall Islands.

We asked Jesse whether she believes that people are really interested. Her reply was short and clear: "We need money to make the change." [Possibly because of our interviewer bias, we had understood: "No. People are only interested in money."]

The opening speakers, Philippe Mottat, Blaise Godet, Laurent Moutinot, and Srgjan Kerim referred to Geneva's humanitarian spirit and the need for constructive provocative input in the debates and workshops. This should change the architecture of the disalogues and integrate prevention in addition to reaction. The private sector would have an important role to play.

Kofi Annan opened the plenary discussions claiming that climate change is the single most destructive force of today. "The notion of climate change is to narrow," he said. We must also include the social, economic and humanitarian implications. Climate change is a threat to social stability, to economic growth and tothe achievement of the Millennium Goals.
Despite the magnitude of the challenge, Mr Annan remains an optimist. The knowledge and technology is available. The wealthy, who caused the problkem is the first place, must now provide the means to mitigate the effect and help the poor. Kofi Annan called for immediate action.

The first plenary was on Climate Justice

Climate Justice video

Richard Branson spoke of damage done by climate disasters, the right to economic growth and technology to deal with CO2 emissions. Climate change unchecked, Branson sees a worldwar three looming.
Yvo de Boer noted the economic growth increases greenhouse gas emissions and called for strong international leadership. De Bpoer denounced Branson's technical fixes.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Ricardo Lagos spoke of the factual effects for low coastal countries, responsibility, mitigation, technology transfer, financial aid, and new technologies.

In the debate that included the floor, the choice between carbon taxes and carbon trading was disputed. The question was raised, who is in charge. Lack of political will was denounced.
Jeffrey Sachs asked for a completely new technological approach to green the deserts, using solar power, generating three crops a year instead of one, hinting at business opportunities. "Virgin deserts will bloom,"

he said.
Ela Bhatt asked if a decentralisation of production and consumption was not another way to go.
Mary Robinson summarised his words in terms of a new era of growth and development, seconded by a lady from the audience who proposed Sustainable and Just Growth.

Journalists were excluded from the workshop meetigs, for unknown reasons.

The late afternoon plenary presented and debated the outcome of the Parallel Roundtables. The facilitator,BBC's Nisha Pillai, asked the audience to raise their hands if they disagree with a proposal. She handed out sheets of paper on which each particpant was asked to write down his or her commitment and great idea to deal with climate change.

Climate Security would not necessarily lead to more conflict, if we mitigate and invest in tecnology, fertiliser and irrigation, so that people in stressed areas, such as pasturalists and crop famers can continue to coexist. Food Security could be supported by knowledge, technology, infrastructure, helping small farmers to increase production and getting access to markets. The need for trade and equitable markets was mentioned.

Risk Insurance did not appear to bring a clear outcome. Insurers could initially sponsor crop insurances but thereafter the benfits should allow normal insurance.

Urban Planning discussed the need to provide for greener cities with up to 70 percent of the world's population expected to live in cities by 2050. Eco-design and self-sustaining structures were mentioned. China was cited for designing a set of basic eco-principles.
A suggestion was made that delegates should take off their jackets, thus reducing the need for airconditioning.
On my suggestion sheet I noted that people should also "take off" their four wheel drive, and more, so as to become personally climate-friendly.

Business Opportunities saw the role of the state in facilitating local businesses and providing appropriate frameworks.

In our ecologic view there were no dramatic or revolutionary proposals made. Mrs Eli Bhatt hinted at localised structures but hers was a voice lost in the wilderness of further growth - "sustainable", of course - and a blind belief in technology to deal with all problems of climate threats and resource scarcities. "We will green the deserts."

Helmut Lubbers, 24 June 2008

Programm 24-25 June Wednesday, 25 June

Jeffrey Sachs and Javier Solana on growth and technology

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8624-8625-8630

Annual Meeting 2008: The Human Face of Climate Change

24-25 June 2008 Hotel Intercontinental Geneva 7- 9 Chemin du Petit Saconnex Geneva, Switzerland

Programme

This is the latest programme of the Annual Meeting 2008. Further updates will be accessible through the Forum’s website: www.ghf-ge.org. A final programme will be sent out shortly prior to the conference.

Tuesday, 24 June

Plenary [questions]

09:15 - 09:30 Welcome - Representative of the Swiss Federal Government
Laurent Moutinot, President of the State Council, Republic and Canton of Geneva

09:30 - 09:45 Opening Address: The Human Face of Climate Change
Kofi A. Annan, President, Global Humanitarian Forum; United Nations Secretary-General (1997-2006)

09:45 - 10:15 Climate Witnesses: Young people from vulnerable communities in affected regions speak out on how climate change affects their lives - in cooperation with the British Council, including:
James Bing (Marshall Islands)
Jesse Mike (Nunavut,Canada)
Mama N'doda (Togo)
Guilherme Pastore (Brazil)
Rishika Das Roy (India)
Moderated by Martin Davidson, CEO, British Council

10:15 - 10:45 Break

10:45 - 12:30 Climate Justice in a Shared Global Ecosphere
The wealth of the industrialized world is largely based on past and current fossil fuel consumption that is itself the principle cause of global warming. Those who have consumed the least carbon resources, who have contributed the least to climate change, suffer the brunt of its adverse effects. Under a shared ecosphere, and given scarce global resources, historical economic growth has also seriously exacerbated ongoing poverty reduction efforts. But linking these issues together can be grounds for a global solution. Could the architecture of a post-Kyoto agreement be capable of effectively reconciling these injustices? Or is a post- Kyoto framework destined to be an effective tool only for the promotion of emission reductions? Would emission trading on a worldwide but individual, per capita, level provide a better instrument for ensuring global climate justice? Indeed, could personal responsibility for individual carbon emissions provide for a new system of global equity? Do other serious alternatives exist?
Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives
Ricardo Lagos, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change; President, Club of Madrid; President of Chile (2001-2006)
Moderated by Mary Robinson, President, Realizing Rights; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002); President of Ireland (1990-1997)

12:30 - 14:00 Luncheon

Parallel Roundtables

14:00 - 16:00 The Climate-Security Nexus: Conflict or Cooperation?
Climate change will place vulnerable communities under unbearable stress. Impacts such as more frequent and intense storms and flooding are causing new and more acute humanitarian crises. In some regions, slower-onset disasters, such as climate change driven water stress are exacerbating existing humanitarian situations, and may already be fuelling regional instability in worst affected areas. In the Sahel, we witness tensions among competing nomads, subsistence farmers and other communities, while the retreat of glacial ice in the arctic zone may be cause for confrontation in the scramble for new resources. Can we talk of “resource wars”? What is the extent of the link between climate and security now and tomorrow? Over the coming half-century, could climate change redefine security policy worldwide? How can we encourage better cooperation among peoples and nations to meet these challenges and avoid the great potential for conflict, particularly among competing vulnerable communities?
Mats Berdal, Professor of Security and Development, Department of War Studies, King’s College, London
Gareth Evans, President and CEO, International Crisis Group; Foreign Minister, Australia (1988-1996)
Rita Hauser, President, The Hauser Foundation; Chair, Board of Directors, International Peace Institute
Jakob Kellenberger, President, International Committee of the Red Cross
Alois Hirschmugl, Brigadier General, International Operations Command, Austrian Armed Forces
Javier Solana, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, European Union; Secretary-General, Council of the European Union; Secretary-General, Western European Union; Secretary-General, NATO (1995-1999)
Moderated by Jan Egeland, Director, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on matters relating to the prevention and resolution of conflict; Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (2003-2006)

14:00 - 16:00 5 Key Priorities for Food Security in a Changing Climate
Drought, changing rainfall patterns, insect infestations and other climate change impacts are dramatically aggravating food scarcity in a number of already vulnerable zones. Meanwhile, demand for bio-fuel materials and unfavourable international trade regimes among other factors are causing food prices to reach historic heights. This development is having serious consequences for a number of vulnerable groups, notably the urban poor. At the same time, however, high food prices coupled with continued population expansion are creating new opportunities for farming in poor regions. What are 5 strategies that could enable farmers to take advantage of these opportunities and strengthen food security in the face of worsening climate risks?
Jill Lester, President and CEO, The Hunger Project
John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Coordinator, UN High Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis
Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization
Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization (t.b.c.)
Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
Manuel Aranda da Silva, Senior Adviser to the Executive Director, World Food Programme; Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator, UN Mission in Sudan (2004-2007)
Moderated by Catherine Bertini, Professor of Public Administration, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; Executive Director, World Food Program (1992-2002)

14:00 - 16:00 Are the Right Risks Insured?
Given the scale and breadth of the climate threat, do current patterns of insurance accurately reflect exposure to this new risk on global and regional levels? To what extent are climate-related risks themselves “insurable”? Many developing countries lack any insurance coverage for climate risks whatsoever, even in worst affected regions. As climate change impacts intensify, this insurance deficit will not only impede recovery from large-scale disasters, but also further deter investment where often unfavourable business conditions already prevail. What policies are needed to overturn the climate-insurance deficit for worst affected and most vulnerable regions? Would the appointment of chief risk officers close to political decision-makers be a positive first step?
Jacques Aigrain, CEO, Swiss Re
Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation, Sweden; Chairperson, Commission on Climate Change and Development
Mary Chinery-Hesse, Chief Advisor to the President of Ghana
Kemal Dervi?, Administrator, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Jay Ralph, CEO, Allianz Reinsurance
Simon Upton, Chair, OECD Round Table on Sustainable Development
Moderated by Donald Johnston, Chairman, International Risk Governance Council; Secretary-General, OECD (1996-2006)

14:00 - 16:00 Design and Urban Planning: New Forms of Urban Life - New Forms of Development?
For most of human history, design followed the respective availability of natural raw materials. With industrialization and globalization, human activity and settlements have become unsustainable, and increasingly so. Our planet cannot bear further greenhouse gas intensive economic growth. If all developing countries are to achieve a high standard of living, the traditional carbon-reliant model cannot be followed. There is a need for new, substantially greener practices. What contribution can smart design and urban planning make towards sustainable development and adaptation for most vulnerable communities? Could good design also help to better harness the resources and traditional knowledge available to developing countries? What could local design and urban planning look like in the twenty-first century? What type of lifestyles and infrastructure are most desirable? Do we need new models of development?
Michelle Colley, Risk Manager, Acclimatise
John Raftery, Dean, School of the Built Environment, Oxford Brookes University
Darren Robinson, Group Leader, Sustainable Urban Development, Ecole Polytechnique F´dérale de Lausanne
Malcolm Smith, Director, Integrated Urbanism, Arup Consulting
Amy Smith, Senior Lecturer, Departement of Mechanical Engineering, co-founder, International Development Initiative, and founder, Designs for Developing Countries Project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Moderated by George Scharffenberger, Executive Director, Richard C. Blum Centre for Developing Economies, University of California, Berkeley

14:00 - 16:00 What are Business Opportunities for Adaptation?
Adaptation to climate change for most vulnerable communities is estimated to cost in the realm of US$50 billion per year. How much of this figure represents business opportunities? What are the main business opportunities for adaptation? At the same time, adaptation is such a large-scale endeavor that it must be driven by a range of stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, civil society and other partners. However, the private sector continues to be under-engaged compared to other sectors, particularly with respect to most vulnerable groups. What scope is there for triggering more private sector involvement through government incentives? And what would be the appropriate incentives and/or regulatory frameworks?
Ela Bhatt, founder, India's Self-Employed Women's Association
Frits van Dijk, Executive Vice President and Zone Director for Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East, Nestl´
Bert Koenders, Minister for Development Cooperation, Netherlands
Iqbal Quadir, Executive Director, Legatum Centre for Development and Entrepreneurship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Eric Rey, President and CEO, Arcadia Biosciences
Roland Stulz, Executive Director, Novatlantis, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Domain
Moderated by Michel Camdessus, Member, Commission for Africa; Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (1987-2000); Governor, Bank of France (1984-1987)

14:00 - 16:00 Innovative Financing for Adaptation: What New Ideas?
Climate change impacts may derail attainment of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, and in some cases, may even undo existing development investments. Adaptation is the safeguard to this, but will require substantial additional finance above current levels of Official Development Assistance (ODA), which itself continues to fall short of the 0.7% target. In addition, given that climate change is impacting on people and communities now, adaptation is an urgent need. How can funds be more rapidly mobilized? Should adaptation spending be made eligible for ODA labelling for the immediate future? Is another alternative the launch of a new “global fund” to gather and coordinate financing on adaptation for those worst affected? Or will we have to wait for a global post-Kyoto agreement in order to effectively finance such needs? Rajat Gupta, Chair of the Board, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Senior Partner Worldwide Emeritus, McKinsey&Company Caio Koch-Weser, Vice-Chairman, Deutsche Bank
Ivan Pictet, Vice-President, Global Humanitarian Forum; Senior Managing Partner, Pictet & Cie
Jean-Louis Schiltz, Minister of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Communications and Defence, Luxembourg
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
Moderated by James Wolfensohn, founder, the Wolfensohn Centre at the Brookings Institute, Washington DC; President of the World Bank Group (1995-2005)

Plenary

16:30 - 18:00 Open Debate on the Conclusions of the Roundtables

19:30 - 21:30 Boat Cruise/Dinner Dinner boat cruise on Lake Leman

Wednesday, 25 June

Source: www.ghf-geneva.org/ (18 June 2008).