WSP provide facilitation at Clinton Global Initiative | 6th Feb 2009
Chris Hazen, a Director from our Asian business, provided facilitation support in three of the working sessions at the December meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).
The CGI was established by former US President Bill Clinton, borne out of his conviction that governments alone could not adequately confront the world’s most pressing problems without the help of the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other global leaders.
Meetings of the CGI are well attended by private sector, NGOs and other global leaders. Carefully orchestrated, these meetings are designed to turn ideas into ‘commitments’. To date, over US$46 billion of private sector commitments have been made through the CGI.
We were very proud and delighted to be involved in the December meeting. Chris facilitated working sessions on energy and climate change, with a focus on:
- Green buildings, green cities
- Valuing resources, changing mindsets
- Developing green technology and renewable energy
Dominating the limelight were conversations around what the government could do that would tip the economics of renewable energy and energy-efficiency and generate momentum for the commercialisation of new technologies.
Over 500 participants from around Asia and the world were in attendance, including:
- Bill Clinton
- Singaporean Leader Lee Kwan Yiu
- Filipino President Gloria Arroyo
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
- Lord Mayor of Sydney
- President of Mongolia
- Chief Executive of Hong Kong
- Actress Michelle Yeoh
- Actor Jet Li
- Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia Stephen Roach
- China's Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Jiang Li
- ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan
Many participants appeared very interested in the role WSP could play in addressing energy and climate change issues, specifically the eco-design of electronics / furniture and sustainable shopping mall developments.
The CGI is an invitation-only initiative, restricted to participants who are determined by CGI leadership to be in a position that they can have a major impact addressing one or more of the core CGI objectives. CGI participants are therefore among the most influential people in the world in the areas of Energy & Climate Change. Participation in CGI events as a facilitator is a highly sought after opportunity, and enabled Chris to meet many influential individuals. Working alongside other facilitators such as the senior environmental official of China Light & Power (Hong Kong's largest electric power utility) and the CEO of the Business Environmental Council (Hong Kong's leading non-profit business organization focused on sustainability) demonstrates the strength of expertise within our global business.
Want to know more?
For further information relating to the CGI, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org or contact Chris Hazen on +852 2217 2000 / chris.hazen@wspgroup.com.