Date: 27 August 2008
Time: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Venue: Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Philippines
Energy, Climate, & Food Security Conference:
Responding to Global Challenges through Regional Cooperation and Public-Private Partnership
Three interlocking global challenges are increasingly threatening the security and stability of nations across continents. The combination of rising food and energy prices, as well as the worsening impact of climate change have now reached alarming levels and are causing many to press panic buttons.
United Nations experts warned that rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability. A recent World Bank Report similarly revealed that at least "33 countries are facing political and social unrest because of skyrocketing food and energy prices." It also noted that "riots and unrest have already erupted in 22 countries".
Meanwhile, the International Alert (IA), a London-based peacebuilding organization, released its own report in November 2007 highlighting the risks of conflict and instability as a consequence of nations’ inability to adapt to climate change. According to the report: "There is a real risk that climate change will compound the propensity for violent conflict, which in turn will leave communities poorer, less resilient, and less able to cope with the consequences of climate change."
The IA Report identified 46 countries facing a high risk of armed conflict as a knock-on consequence of climate change. The list includes India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines, among other Asian countries. Another 56 countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, Thailand, and Timor-Leste in East Asia, are threatened by a high risk of political instability due to the impact of climate change".
Clearly governments cannot singlehandedly address these pressing concerns. The circumstances confronting us today require international cooperation and call upon the business sector and civil society to help prevent these global challenges from spinning out of control. But what can they actually do? How can the business sector and civil society become part of the solution rather than the problem?
Driven by its mission to foster greater public-private partnership in addressing obstacles to development and competitiveness, the AIM Policy Center, as a regional think tank, has taken the lead in organizing this very timely conference. The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, UN World Food Programme, the International Alert, the Philippine Business Leaders Forum, Congressional Committee on Science & Technology and Engineering, ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), BusinessMirror, BusinessWorld, the AIM Alumni Relations Office, and Philstar.com supported the conference.
Food, Energy and Climate Summit slated in RP (from inquirer.net Blogs )
Conference's Programme (.pdf)
Speakers' Profile (.pdf)
Conference Overview (.pdf)
Dr. Federico M. Macaranas, AIM Policy Center
Global and Regional Energy Security Outlook (.pdf)
Mr. Sohail Hasnie, Asian Development Bank
Business and Energy Security (.pdf)
Mr. Dennis Vicente, Sunpower Philippines Manufacturing, Inc.
Public-Private Partnership for Energy Security (.pdf)
Mr. Larry L. Asera, Asera, LLC, USA
The Philippine Case (.pdf)
Hon. Angelo T. Reyes, Department of Energy
Climate Change and Human Security (.pdf)
Dr. Hiroshi Ohta, Waseda University, Japan
Climate Change & Conflict: The links between Climate Change, Peace, and War (.pdf)
Mr. Dan Smith, International Alert, United Kingdom
Local Responses to Climate Change (.pdf)
Hon. Joey Sarte Salceda, Governor, Province of Albay
Global Food Security Outlook (.pdf)
Mr. Edgardo T. Valenzuela, UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), Italy
Food Security and Conflict: Real Scenarios on the Ground (.pdf)
Mr. Roland Bigler, International Committe of the Red Cross, Manila
Ms. Leena Ghosh, International Committe of the Red Cross, KL Malaysia
Food Security in the Region and in the Philippines (.pdf)
Assec. Percy H. Manzo, Department of Agriculture
Presentation of the Pre-Conference Workshop Results:
Business and Civil Society Response to the Global Challenges (.pdf)
Dr. Nereus Acosta
Convenor, Philippine Climate Change Imperative
Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Management
Responding to global challenges through Regional Cooperation
and Public-Private Partnership (.pdf)
Mr. Stephen L. Anderson, United Nations World Food Programme
Facing the Issues of Energy, Climate Change and Food Security (.pdf)
Mr. Xianbin Yao, Asian Development Bank
Conference Synthesis (.pdf)
Dr. Federico M. Macaranas, AIM Policy Center