USCIB and the United States Council Foundation are delighted to announce publication of the Green Perspectives papers as a special supplement of the peer-reviewed journal Energy Economics. The special supplement is available by clicking here.

The Green Economies Dialogue initiative worked with the editors of Energy Economics to invite respected authors to contribute their views and perspectives on a wide range of green economy topics of importance to companies operating in global markets and to society as a whole:

• green growth
• green jobs
• green finance
• green economic development
• green energy options
• green consumer information and
• green supply chain management.

Individually and as a collection, these papers provide a major foundational academic contribution to the field, and they can help to inform business and other policy and decision-makers as efforts continue to develop a greener, more prosperous world.

USCIB and the United States Council Foundation were proud to play a prominent role in the Green Economies Dialogue project (see www.green-dialogue.org)  We thank the sponsors, national governments, authors and others who participated in and contributed to GED. Special recognition is due BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee OECD, for its leadership and engagement.

Publication of Green Perspectives completes the second major task of the GED that began early in 2011 as a process to create dialogue among governments, academics, think tanks, international organizations and business during the lead-up to the UN Rio+20 summit held earlier this year.  Its overall goals were to enhance understanding of green economy issues and, through dialogue, to promote more effective policies and actions to restore economic growth and promote a greener economy.

The Green Economies Dialogue initiative now enters a planned stocktaking phase to consider what was learned from the dialogues and papers, and to assess future directions and ways forward, especially in the international process.

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The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) experts underscored the crucial role played by business in tackling the challenges of climate change, at the 15th annual meeting of the International Business Forum (IBF) in Pretoria earlier this month.

Around 260 participants, mainly from the private sector and government, took part in the conference organized on behalf of the German government by the German Agency for International Cooperation, in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce.

The event offered the opportunity for large companies to connect with SMEs and discuss business models for a changing climate.

“Companies build a green future every day by delivering and deploying their innovations, products and services,” said Andrea Bacher, Policy Manager of the ICC Commission on Environment and Energy, in her opening remarks. “However, more effort is required to scale up and implement green solutions in today’s globalized world.”

The guiding framework for the discussion was the ICC Green Economy Roadmap, a widely acclaimed set of business recommendations outlining how economic growth, environmental sustainability and social progress have to work together in a mutually reinforcing fashion.

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

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The Green Economies Dialogue, an innovative effort launched by USCIB to spur discussion and consensus around green growth policies in the run-up to this June’s UN Rio+20 conference, rolled into two more national capitals in April.

Working closely with BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, and its network, as it has in previous dialogue sessions, USCIB organized high-level discussions among business and other stakeholders in Tokyo on April 4, hosted by Keidanren, and in Brasilia on April 16, hosted by the Brazilian industry federation CNI.

The objective of the Green Economy Dialogue (www.green-dialogue.org) is to foster a productive approach to greener growth, with due recognition for both opportunities and challenges.  In particular, it is intended to increase dialogue before, during and after the Rio+20 conference, by engaging the private sector and informing international policy discussions.  In addition, the project involves commissioning a number of peer-reviewed, academic papers on various aspects of green growth and the green economy, to be published in the journal Energy Economics just prior to Rio+20.

The Tokyo Dialogue, which took place at Keidanren’s headquarters, brought together over 80 participants from international business and government, as well as key academic experts, in a constructive discussion on opportunities and challenges in realizing a green economy. The conference highlighted a series of business initiatives that make a pro-active contribution to sustainable development, including on the role of innovation and technology in building a sustainable society on a global scale.

A prominent part of the discussion was the improvement of energy efficiency as well as the development and global deployment of innovative technologies to promote a low-carbon society. The meeting also highlighted promising approaches to foster more efficient use of resources, the role of sustainable consumption and production, the importance of involving consumers as well as public-private partnerships, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for the business community.

The Brasilia day-long dialogue session, hosted by CNI, engaged over 70 participants from Brazil along with international participation from government, industry, academia and the UN.  Sessions focused on green growth issues of importance to Brazil and developing countries, including: perspectives on the upcoming Rio +20 Conference, green growth in emerging, developing countries, sustainable use of tropical forests, and implications of a low-carbon economy for food, fuels and forests.

USCIB and the partners and sponsors of the Green Economies Dialogue project are planning outreach and further discussions during the Rio+20 events in June. The Dialogue project will also publish its peer-reviewed academic “Green perspectives” papers in the journal Energy Economics contemporaneous with Rio+20.

For further information, please contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org).

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) provided business input for the UN’s upcoming Rio+20 Conference at a two-day consultation in The Hague, the Netherlands, with the aim of further mapping out the private sector’s role in the transition to a green economy.

Some 300 business people, government and non-governmental organization representatives, attended this Business and Industry Consultation with Government and Civil Society, organized by the government of the Netherlands, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD).

Through ICC, USCIB members and other business participants have been shaping recommendations ahead of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20-22.

In a parallel effort, USCIB members and other stakeholders are actively involved in the Green Economies Dialogue initiative, which was launched last year to provide a forum for discussion of green growth topics among multiple stakeholders in the lead-up to Rio+20. Dialogue sessions have been held in Washington, Paris and Beijing, and two additional sessions were scheduled to take place this month in Tokyo and Brasilia. USCIB members are invited to contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org) for additional information.

At the Hague meeting, ICC outlined the requirements to accelerate progress toward a green economy and presented its 10 Conditions for a Transition toward a Green Economy and its voluntary code for companies, the ICC Business Charter for Sustainable Development. The ICC Business Charter, is already being used by thousands of large and small companies around the world as the basis for sound environmental management.

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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Only a few months prior to the UN’s Rio+20 conference in June, some 100 representatives of governments, business and other stakeholders gathered in New York for a high-level dialogue on the business case for sustainable development.

The meeting was hosted by a business coalition of the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Global Compact, in partnership with the governments of Barbados, Benin, the Netherlands and Vietnam.

USCIB was represented by Norine Kennedy, vice president for environment and energy.

The dialogue took place during the third Intersessional Meeting of UN Conference on Sustainable Development.  It provided a platform to discuss issues of vital importance to the private sector in advance of Rio+20 and explore the role of business in fostering inclusive green growth. Companies around the world have placed sustainability at the top of their agendas, realizing the growing significance and urgency of global environmental, social and economic challenges. Using science and technology to stimulate innovation and investment for green growth, the private sector is contributing substantially to sustainable development.

“As Rio+20 focuses on greening growth and advancing implementation, bringing business to the table is indispensable,” said USCIB’s Kennedy.  “We regard a recognized role for business as a necessary element of a successful outcome of the UN conference.”

USCIB members are actively involved in the Green Economies Dialogue initiative, which was launched last year to provide a forum for discussion of green growth topics among multiple stakeholders in the lead-up to Rio+20.  Dialogue sessions have been held in Washington, Paris and Beijing, and two additional sessions are planned for April in Tokyo and Brasilia.  USCIB members are invited to contact Kira Yevtukhova (kyevtukhova@uscib.org) for additional information.

Read more about the New York meeting on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Norine Kennedy

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Green Economies Dialogue website

Last year USCIB, through the United States Council Foundation, joined with a range of partners to launch the Green Economies Dialogue project, an initiative aimed at fostering international consensus on the essential elements of successful green growth strategies.

The initiative encompasses a series of workshops (“dialogues”) to engage the private sector and inform international policy discussions leading up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June. An additional component of the Green Economies Dialogue project is the commissioning of more than a dozen peer-reviewed research papers to be published in the journal Environmental Economics prior to Rio+20.

Following successful Green Economies Dialogue sessions in Washington, D.C. and Paris last fall, USCIB and its partner organizations – including BIAC, the Japanese employers group Keidanren, Brazil’s CNI business federation, and a dozen sponsors – are gearing up for three additional Dialogues in China, Japan, and Brazil this month and next.

Additional information on each Green Economies Dialogue sessions:

• Beijing Dialogue (March 21): Organized jointly with USCIB’s China Committee, the Beijing Dialogue will assess conditions to promote a greener economy in China, key opportunities for members of industry in this area to enhance China’s efforts, and issues related to competitiveness in global markets. The meeting will also serve as a platform to discuss areas for improvement and cooperation within the private sector, and private/public partnerships. For more information, please contact Justine Badimon, USCIB’s manager for China, APEC and EU affairs (jbadimon@uscib.org).

• Tokyo Dialogue (April 4): Jointly hosted by BIAC and Keidanren, the Tokyo Dialogue will build on topics discussed at previous Green Economies Dialogue sessions in Washington, Paris and Beijing, including low-carbon development and resource efficiency, with a focus on Japanese and regional priorities and experiences. For more information regarding this meeting, please contact Norine Kennedy, vice president for energy and environmental affairs (nkennedy@uscib.org).

• Brasilia Dialogue (April 16-17): Hosted by CNI, the Brasilia Dialogue will draw upon all previous Green Economies Dialogue sessions, with a focus on green growth in emerging and developing countries, sustainable use of tropical forests, and low-carbon development in Brazil and the region. The meeting will be a day-long event on April 16, with possible for additional meetingsonApril 17. For more information regarding this meeting, please contact Norine Kennedy (nkennedy@uscib.org).

For more information on the Green Economy Dialogue Project, please visit the project website at www.green-dialogue.org.

Staff Contact: Norine Kennedy

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