About the Global Roundtable
The 2011 Global Roundtable, held in Washington D.C. on 19-20 October 2011, was a high-level conference that attracted a select group of 600 plus sustainable finance and responsible investment leaders and thinkers for an intensive, two-day dialogue.
Held in the run-up to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, UNEP FI’s 13th Global Roundtable cast a spotlight on the global sustainable development agenda from the perspective of the financial sector players.
This 2011 edition of the Global Roundtable was held under the theme “The Tipping Point: Sustained stability in the next economy.”
Speakers included:
• Gordon Brown, Former UK Premier and current Member of Parliament;
• Mary Robinson, President, Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights & former President of Ireland
• James Balsillie, co-CEO of Research in Motion and member of the UN High Level Panel for Global Sustainability;
• Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNEP.
The 13th Global Roundtable
UNEP FI’s 13th Global Roundtable came at a crucial time for the international community, with the financial crisis offering a stark reminder that instability constantly looms over the horizon when issues of sustainability are overlooked in day-to-day financial operations.
Held under the theme “The Tipping Point: Sustained stability in the next economy,” UNEP FI’s 13th Global Roundtable postulated that the decades-long niche discussion over sustainability has finally become part of mainstream business and policy-making. The tipping point, in other words, has been crossed, and there is no turning back.
Building on that premise, the 13th Global Roundtable conference programme brought in one place the men and women who have produced the most forward-looking thinking in the global finance and investment community. It offered guests and speakers a unique opportunity to probe and debate the new common business opportunities and challenges that exist in a post-financial crash environment, network among peers, and find inspiration to position themselves ahead of competitors in a changing economy.
Why Washington D.C.?
Being in Washington D.C. represents a unique opportunity for UNEP FI to create a dialogue between the financial community and the policy-makers. Ahead of the Earth Summit, UNEP FI’s Global Roundtable created a space for CEOs, heads of sustainability and risk departments to discuss the most pressing issues in sustainable development with representatives from environment, energy and finance ministries (or their equivalent).
The history of the Global Roundtables
Since the success of the first Global Roundtable edition, held in 1994 in Geneva, Switzerland, Global Roundtables have matured into major global agenda-setting events.
Global Roundtables offer an opportunity for leaders of the financial world and environmental experts to come together to discuss and exchange views on sustainability issues and responsible financing. They have significantly contributed with ideas on how to address emerging environmental, social and governance challenges that relate to the global financial industry. In addition, the summit has been one of UNEP FI’s foremost advocacy instruments.
Fifteen years on, Global Roundtables carry-on a well-established tradition that has spanned the globe from New York to Frankfurt, Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo.