The BIOECON Partners are pleased to announce the Sixteenth Annual International BIOECON conference on the theme of "Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Sustainability". The conference will be held once again on the premises of Kings College Cambridge, England on the 22nd -23rd September 2014.

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) is pleased to welcome you to a public event in Geneva on the Green Goods Initiative. The purpose of the dialogue is to raise awareness among the trade constituency in Geneva and beyond about the Green Goods Initiative, and its potential to effectively address climate change by prioritising clean energy technologies and other climate-friendly goods.

The international conference “Green Growth on the Rise in the Mekong River Basin: From Concept to Reality” will take place 1-2 July in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam, co-hosted by GGGI and the Viet Nam National Mekong Committee (VNMC). The rising concept of green growth brings together top-tier experts on water, green growth and sustainable development to discuss the future of the Mekong River Basin and beyond.

On 1 July, 2014, the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) will host the launch of the new report "Green Growth in Practice: Lessons from Country Experiences". The event will feature a presentation of key findings and a discussion on the value of these results for global efforts around green growth.

Theme: Doing Good to Do Better: Successful Corporate Strategies that Benefit Society

This regional consultation is organized jointly by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the UN Global Compact, as the two co-leads in the global consultations of the UN Development Group (UNDG) on ‘Engaging with the Private Sector,’ in close partnership with the Government of Slovakia.

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) is a regional not-for-profit, non-governmental, membership-based organization headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, with the status of international organization. Since 2007, AFED has been a public forum for influential eco-advocates. Since then, the AFED has become a major dynamic player in the environmental arena. The flagship contribution of AFED is an annual report written and edited by experts on the state of Arab environment, tracking developments and proposing policy measures.

On 17 June from 15.00-17.00 EDT, the Organization of American States will host the 59th OAS Policy Roundtable on  “Policy Dialogues on Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for the Americas”.

The OECD and the Indonesian Ministry of Finance will be hosting a regional workshop relating to the OECD project “Towards Green Growth in Southeast Asia”. The workshop will take place on 12-13 June at the Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta.

Background

The development of Asian cities is characterised by rapid and continuous urbanisation on an unprecedented scale, with rapid economic growth led in most places by the manufacturing industry and rapidly increasing motorisation. The result has been escalating greenhouse gas emissions, sprawling urban development and local environmental impacts, as well as disparities in income, education levels and job opportunities in urban populations.

Key information about natural capital is missing or invisible in the System of National Accounts (SNA), and in SNA-based indicators, such as GDP. Under-valuation of natural capital and the lack of integration of these values in policy decisions have been identified as two of the main causes of environmental and natural resource degradation (MA 2005).