The Planet Earth Institute, the permanent legacy of the United Nations 'Year of the Planet Earth', yesterday (July 5, 2011) held its first annual summit to announce their 'Global-South collaboration' initiative as the driving force behind their upcoming sustainable development projects.
The two-day conference in London will announce the results of their programs to date and approve the key sustainable development projects for 2011-2012. This summit will bring together international top-level scientists, national Governments and senior business figures from across every continent.
The 'Global-South collaboration' initiative will forge closer links for development projects between southern hemisphere nations as a means to long-term progress and growth. It is drawn from work undertaken by the Planet Earth Institute's Global Scientific Committee.
As part of this Initiative, the PEI are placing the emphasis on private-sector led sustainable development projects, working in tandem with international institutions. The PEI is funded solely through corporate partners and is ensuring companies taking roots in Africa and Latin America are doing so with an eye to true sustainable development.
Mr Álvaro Sobrinho, Chairman of PEI and President of Banco Espírito Santo Angola (the PEI Official Bank), said: "I am delighted to open our first annual conference in London today. The PEI is pioneering forging these links between the private sector, international institutions and national governments in developing nations.
"While many economies across Africa and Latin America are making fast progress including Angola we must make sure sustainable environmental development goes hand in hand to ensure the long-term success of our emerging nations."
Prof. Paul Younger, Director at the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability and Chairman of the Planet Earth Global Scientific Committee, said: "Today we have been able to attract some of the brightest, most socially committed scientists in the field of sustainable development, encompassing many industrial sectors and all the southern continents.
"We have with us leading experts in water, energy, food, consumer goods, waste management, urban development, mining and climate change impacts assessment. We will use these two-days to help best shape the global debate in the run up to Rio + 20 on how to achieve a truly sustainable for future generations especially in the poorest parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America".
Source: Maitland
