In the final days of COP28, EMEA continued its participation with Prof. Rym Ayadi, President and Founder, Sara Ronco, Researcher, Yeganeh Forouheshfar, Senior Researcher, and Ivan Hajdukovic, Researcher, participating in several events encompassing sustainable entrepreneurship, ESG, and agroforestry. EMEA also presented the launch of its short film “Whispers of the Earth: A symphony of change” demonstrating the crucial connection between creativity and climate change.
Day 8 – 8th December – the Just Transition, MSMEs, and ESG
On Day 8, EMEA President Prof. Rym Ayadi participated in the workshop “Blue Carbon – Developing Solutions for a Just Transition” in the Just Transition Pavilion. The event was co-organised by International Labour Organization, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association – EMEA, Blue-Green Futures, and King Abdulallah University.
The panel included EMEA advisors Ralph Chami – CEO & Co-Founder Blue Green Future, Nathalie Hilmi Centre Scientifique de Monaco and Ekkehard Ernst, International Labour Organization. In her intervention, Prof. Ayadi underlined “Parametric insurance emerges as a pivotal instrument in accelerating the financing of natural capital, integral to a just transition. By swiftly mobilizing funds post-disaster based on predetermined criteria, it ensures the immediate availability of resources essential for restoring and preserving ecosystems for insured small economic players. This rapid response capability is vital for maintaining the integrity of natural capital, which is crucial for communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. Moreover, parametric insurance incentivizes sustainable practices and risk mitigation, aligning financial flows with conservation goals. In essence, it acts not just as a safety net, but as a catalyst for resilient, equitable development where the protection of natural capital is paramount in the transition towards a sustainable future.”
Also on the 8th, fortifying relationships and connections in the Mediterranean, particularly for women, EMEA President Prof. Rym Ayadi participated at the MEDCOP Climate Partners’ Roundtable on the “The MedCop Process: Consultation with partners on network governance and Objectives on the establishment of the women’s climate mediterranean network”.
EMEA also organised its 5th panel event of the COP, ESG in Focus: Driving Sustainable Growth and Responsible Investments. The session examined government progress on standardisation and disclosure requirements, whilst raising awareness about the significance of considering ESG factors in decision-making processes. It also explored the hurdles faced by companies and investors when incorporating ESG considerations, discussed emerging policy frameworks and regulatory developments in the ESG space, and outlined strategies to enhance transparency, comparability, and reliability of ESG data and reporting. The discussion was moderated by Yeganeh Forouheshfar, Senior Researcher, EMEA with the speakers:
- giovanni ferri, Professor of Economics, Università LUMSA
- Alex Struc, Founder and CEO, GOALSFIRST
- Véronique Ormezzano, Founder and Chairperson, VYGE Consulting
- Kwame Sarpong Barnieh CPA,CGMA, Partner, KPMG Ghana, EMEA Executive Board Member
- Andrea Abbate, ESG and Impact Specialist, Banca Etica
- Nisaa Jetha – Founder & CEO, Impact-for- SDGs
To close the event, Prof. Rym Ayadi underlined: “ESG investing is not just about doing good; it’s about aligning capital with the innovative solutions essential for a sustainable future. By prioritizing investments in companies that lead in environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and strong governance, we’re not only fostering a green transition but actively accelerating it, turning investment portfolios into powerful tools for positive environmental change.”
The event is available to watch at the EMEA YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nP1M4EYzXE
Finally, turning the focus back to entrepreneurship and MSMEs as drivers of the green transition, EMEA President Prof. Rym Ayadi intervened in the event “SMEs, Gamechangers in a Just Transition to circular and low carbon economies”, hosted by the International Labour Organization and the European Commission at the Just Transition Pavilion.
In her intervention Prof. Ayadi highlighted “MSMEs, with their innate agility and community integration, are uniquely positioned to drive the just transition towards a regenerative economy. Through integrating innovative regenerative business models that prioritize sustainable value creation, restoration, regeneration, local engagement, and resource efficiency, they can lead the way in creating an economic system that not only preserves but enhances environmental and social capital for future generations.”
You can catch up on the event here: https://live.ilo.org/events/ilo-cop-28-events-just-transition-pavilion-day-7-afternoon-2023-12-08
Day 9 – 9th December – Agroforestry and the Bioeconomy
On the last day of events, EMEA held its final panel session “Agroforestry sector in the Euro-Mediterranean: Towards novel policies, cooperation and financing frameworks” coorganised with CIHEAM, a fellow member of the Mediterranean Coalition. The event was moderated by Yasmine Seghirate El Guerrab, Administrator at CIHEAM Headquarters, with EMEA Researcher, Ivan Hajdukovic participating as a panellist.
Recent scientific studies reveal the need for a policy framework that links food systems, agriculture, forestry and rural development for a holistic approach to environmental, economic and social sustainability to overcome the most critical barriers to agroforestry adoption in the Euro-Mediterranean region. This session presented the latest developments and knowledge on finance and policies applicable to the agroforestry sector, supported by new tools and approaches, highlighting the ReForest project, to which EMEA is a project partner, and its progress made in this area.
The other speakers were:
- Martin Lukac, Professor in Ecosystem Science, University of Reading, Coordinator of the ReForest project
- Rico Hubner, Researcher, Deutscher Fachverband für Agroforstwirtschaft (DeFAF) e.V
- Thierry DUPEUBLE, Director, CIHEAM Montpellier
- Michèle Gendreau-Massaloux, Vice-President of the GID (Group Interacadémique pour le Développement)
- Jaques Brulhet, Vice-President of the GID
- Martin Heibel Communication manager. Interreg NEXT MED Program
When presenting the work of the ReForest project, Ivan highlighted the importance of cooperation in the region. The transdisciplinary dialogue between researchers, policymakers, civil society, and, of course, how to incorporate traditional and new agroforestry practices into new agricultural policies, should be initiated, allowing for the transfer of knowledge between researchers and practitioners.
The discussion is available to watch at the CIHEAM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N942of4eRLE
Moving into the Spanish Pavilion, Prof. Ayadi moderated the discussion “Bioeconomy for a sustainable inclusive and innovative economy: dream or reality? The objectives of this session were to examine the role of government policies and regulations in promoting the bioeconomy and aligning with climate goals, understand what the key sectors are fostered in different regional strategies, and understand regional and national specificities to set the basis for a global regulation considering local communities (and indigenous communities), and explore the use of biological resources and sustainable production and the role of innovative applications of biotechnology in the production of food, medicines, energy, and sustainable materials.
Prof. Ayadi closed the session by highlighting: “The bioeconomy is a novel concept, it holds immense potential for sustainable growth, leveraging renewable biological resources to meet our needs for food, materials, and energy. However, navigating this path demands careful attention to definition, processes and interaction with other concepts such as circularity and regeneration. Our challenge is not just in harnessing biological processes, but in doing so responsibly, sustainably while addressing human interactions ensuring that today’s solutions do not become tomorrow’s problems.”
The event is available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfhz-T7yKxE
Connecting Creativity and Climate Change
EMEA finally put the spotlight on the interconnection between creativity and climate change at COP28, a seldom commented yet crucial theme in solutions to combat climate change. Following from the prelaunch in its offices, EMEA officially launched the short film “Whispers of the Earth: A symphony of change – a short film on creativity and science in climate preservation” at the Mediterranean Coalition Office on the 9th December.
The film has been produced by EMEA and delves into the overlooked intersection of creativity and science in climate preservation, underscoring the crucial need to reestablish a connection between society and its natural surroundings. It re-inforces the notion that our home extends beyond mere concrete walls, emphasizing the responsibility to safeguard a more expansive environment. The narrative explores the importance of passing down knowledge and serves as a poignant reminder that addressing climate change necessitates a collaborative, multigenerational effort, where shared humanity and connections bring us together.
It was presented by Prof. Rym Ayadi, President and Founder, EMEA with
- Nathalie Hilmi, Section Head of Environmental Economics, Centre Scientifique de Monaco, EMEA Advisor
- Christian Clauwers, Ocean and Polar photographer
- Ines Duarte Project Manager, Energy and Climate Action, Union for the Mediterranean
The film is available to watch at the EMEA YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBbPswZdzSs
EMEA will publish its key takeaways from the event and a full report of all its panel participations. Stay tuned for those details.
