G20 Foundation Publications Turkey 2015 | Page 6

INTRODUCTION & WELCOME 8 Message from the Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu 10 Setting the foundations for economic stability President of Mexico , Enrique Peña Nieto 12 Vision for a brave new world Victor Philippenko , Chairman of the executive board , G20 Foundation TRADE & FINANCE 16 Roberto Azevêdo , Director-General , World Trade Organization Enhancing multi-lateral trade 22 Gabriela Ramos , OECD Chief of Staff and G20 Sherpa Inclusiveness , Implementation and International Tax Transparency , Moving Forward on G20s Growth and Tax Agendas 26 Jessica Robinson , Chief Executive , Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia The time is now for sustainable investing : but we need stronger policy action 30 Wencai Zhang , Asian Development Bank Vice-President for Operations Public - Private Partnerships 34 Dr . Ahmad Mohamed Ali , Chairman , Islamic Bank Statement at the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development Addis Ababa , Ethiopia July 2015 36 Jim Yong Kim , President , World Bank Group Goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 38 Guy Ryder , Director-General , International Labour Organization Opening Session of Joint Meeting of G20 Finance and Labour Ministers , Sept . 4 , 2015 ENERGY 40 Fatih Birol , Executive Director , International Energy Agency Standing Together : A New Era of IEA-China Co-operation , Remarks to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , September 9 , 2015 44 Adnan Z Amin , Director General , International Renewable Energy Agency Energy Access through Off-Grid Renewables : Enabling the Transition 48 Prof He Dexin , President , World Wind Energy Association Insights on Wind Energy Infrastructure Development 52 Agneta Rising , Director-General , World Nuclear Association Bright spots for nuclear energy 54 Christoph Frei , Secretary General , World Energy Council Seven Priorities for Global Energy Governance DEVELOPMENT 56 Akinwumi A . Adesina President of the African Development Bank Inclusive Energy Collaboratioan : Delivering on the G20 Energy Principles Meeting 60 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon Remarks at Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda , September 25 , 2015 64 Antonio Gutteres , United Nations High Commissioner ’ s for Refugees Excerpt Adopting the 2030 Agenda 68 William Lacy Swing Director General , International Organization for Migration EXCERPT Keynote Speech , Migration in a World in Disarray , Graduate Institute Geneva Challenge 2015 ENHANCING MULTI-LATERAL TRADE The World Trade Organization is marking its 20th anniversary this year . While these two decades have brought numerous challenges , the WTO has succeeded in significantly enhancing the multilateral trading system . The WTO has broadened the trading system considerably since 1995 , welcoming thirtythree new members , including giants like China and Russia . Today almost all of the world ’ s economies are now part of a single trading system . International rules , not power , increasingly govern trade relations , and conflicts are settled , not in trade wars , but in the WTO ’ s dispute settlement system – which serves as a global trade court . Trade barriers continue to fall – to the point where well over half of global trade is now tariff free – and economies are becoming ever more interconnected . In this context the WTO provides a key forum for policy dialogue , information sharing , and economic cooperation among its 161 members – making it an increasingly critical pillar of today ’ s system of global governance . While progress in the Doha Development Agenda – the latest in a long line of trade ‘ rounds ’ – has proved very difficult , a growing list of new WTO agreements – covering everything from customs reform , to information technology products , to government procurement , to financial and telecommunications services – are opening up new trade opportunities , in new sectors , often in innovative ways . It is estimated that the 2013 WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement alone could have a bigger impact on reducing trade costs than the elimination of all remaining global tariffs . The July 2015 agreement to expand the scope of the WTO Information Technology Agreement , promises to eliminate tariffs on high tech products which represent 7 per cent of global trade – more than trade in textiles , apparel , iron and steel combined . The WTO ’ s 10th ministerial conference in Nairobi this December ( the first such event to be held in Africa ), will be an opportunity to advance negotiations and to deliver some further significant outcomes in support of growth and development . Indeed , supporting development is now a central element of the WTO ’ s work . Since 1995 , the developing countries ’ share of global merchandise trade has grown from 27 per cent to over 43 per cent – and their share of global GDP has risen from 41 per cent to over 53 per cent . Emerging economies have become indispensable drivers of the global economy , as well as leading voices in the international economic system . There are many reasons why developing countries have achieved economic lift-off , but surely none is more important than their integration into the global economy – a process that has depended , in turn , on today ’ s extraordinarily open , reliable and secure world trading system . However , the WTO ’ s short history is obviously not one of unbroken success . Disappointing progress in the long-running Doha Round is a lingering and high profile reminder . But it important to recognise that the WTO ’ s contribution to the world economy in general , and to development in particular , is much broader than the Doha negotiations , even as they remain a key element of our work . Non-multilateral initiatives will naturally continue to blossom , but we must maintain the WTO as a strong and comprehensive foundation of global trade . The WTO was not the first attempt to create a global trading system , nor the first time that policy makers aimed to realize the vision of global peace through shared prosperity . After the Second World War , the international community also saw the building of an open global trading system as essential precursor to building a new post-war international order . But the bold plan to create an International Trade Organization soon fell victim to Cold War rivalries and waning support for internationalism . It was not until the WTO ’ s creation five decades later that the dream of a permanent and global trade organization was realized – making the WTO the first truly international institution of the post-Cold War era playing a key role in global economic governance . The WTO is ultimately the result , not the cause , of members ’ willingness to cooperate on trade . Its creation and subsequent success reflects the growing realization among more and more countries that trade opening can lead to growth and development , that agreed rules strengthen , not weaken , sovereignty , and that advancing our national interests increasingly depends on advancing our collective interests . As today ’ s global economy grows increasingly open , interdependent and multipolar , it is clear that enhancing cooperation in international trade is becoming more , not less , important . But just because the WTO is important does not make it invulnerable . The WTO ’ s first twenty years have been successful because of members ’ firm commitment to the system and constructive decisions . This attitude will be fundamental in ensuring that the next twenty years are as successful . Director-General , Roberto Azevêdo , WTO Director-General “ There are many reasons why developing countries have achieved economic lift-off , but surely none is more important than their integration into the global economy ” STANDING TOGETHER : A NEW ERA OF IEA-CHINA CO-OPERATION IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol Remarks by Dr . Fatih Birol to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol Beijing 9 September 2015 By almost any measure , China is the most important player in the global energy market . China enjoys that position thanks to an impressive set of achievements . And yet China also faces significant energy challenges in the coming years . China already lies very much at the centre of nearly every work stream in the IEA , and cooperation between China and the IEA stretches back nearly 20 years . But I believe we must and can deepen this partnership . Why ? It ’ s very simple : if China and the IEA work closely together , everybody benefits . The IEA can serve as an invaluable resource to China as it pursues the goals of greater energy security , economic prosperity and environmental sustainability . In return , the IEA and its members can learn much from China ’ s rich experiences . China can rightly claim to have successfully brought electricity to more people than any other country in the world – and to around half a billion people in a short period of time China is also helping improve energy access beyond its own borders , with supportive investments in energy projects in Africa and other regions China is the world ’ s largest wind power market and the world ’ s largest producer of hydroelectricity . China is also adding more solar PV capacity each year than any other country . By the end of this year it will overtake Germany as the country with the most installed solar PV panels in the world . No discussion of low-carbon energy would be complete without a mention of nuclear , and China has huge ambitions for its nuclear sector . Right now , of the 67 reactors being built globally , more than one-third are here in China But another story that is less well-known is China ’ s expansion of hydropower and its impacts . According to IEA analysis , in fact , the emissions avoided in China over the last 10 years thanks to its increase in hydropower capacity alone are greater than all the emissions avoided in the United States as a result of the switch from coal to natural gas during the same time . We also recognise and applaud the steps taken by China , not only to lower its reliance on coal , but also to improve the efficiency of its coal use . Again , according to IEA analysis , thanks to tighter domestic regulation , the efficiency of the coal-fired power fleet in China is now higher than that of the OECD average . Another very impressive achievement . But there is still a long way to go , in China as elsewhere , before we are on a pathway towards a more sustainable energy future . We have shown that – even though China has pledged to achieve a peak in its carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 , if not earlier – the world as a whole is not on track to replicate this achievement , with global emissions still projected to be on an increasing trend by that date . We need to do more than weaken the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions : we need to harness technology and policy in a united effort to break this link completely . In this area , China is one of the leaders of global efforts . This country has created significant , positive political momentum ahead of the climate negotiations in Paris later this year . As I wrote in the People ’ s Daily newspaper back in July , China ’ s constructive leadership deserves applause .… But China still has many important policy challenges ahead , on which the IEA Secretariat and IEA member countries have valuable experience to share . For example , one such area is air pollution as a result of coal combustion , vehicle exhaust , industrial operations and construction , which is now a serious problem affecting many Chinese cities . IEA members have faced similar problems in the past , and so we have an opportunity to draw on these experiences and find solutions together . There are also questions of efficient market operation and design , as well as deployment of low carbon technologies and designing energy efficiency policies …. In some fields , such as ultra-high-voltage electricity transmission , China is leading and IEA members can benefit . In others , the experience of IEA members could provide insights for China . We also have a strong convergence of interest in the core area of energy security ... In short , we must make room for China under the IEA umbrella in order to safeguard and extend the benefits of collective energy security . We are also prepared to work to support China ’ s constructive perspective in leading global energy discussions . During its G20 presidency next year , China will be in a position to propose an ambitious energy agenda . Improving energy efficiency , renewable energy , global energy governance and energy access – in addition to other energy topics to be agreed by the G20 – are among the issues that the world will benefit from during China ’ s G20 presidency … And so I repeat my call for the start of a new era : If China and the IEA can work together , China benefits . If China and the IEA can work together , the IEA benefits . If China and the IEA can work together , the world benefits . This is my appeal to you today . Let ’ s start a new era . Let ’ s work together . Together – and very closely . Thank you very much . Xièxiè . “ No discussion of lowcarbon energy would be complete without a mention of nuclear , and China has huge ambitions for its nuclear sector . Right now , of the 67 reactors being built globally , more than onethird are here in China ” Image : www . shutterstock . com 64 DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES ANTONIO GUTTERE OPENING REMARKS AT THE 66TH SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONERS PROGRAMME . GENEVA 5TH OCTOBER 2015 Ladies and Gentlemen , When I started as High Commissioner ten years ago , there were 38 million people in the world displaced by conflict and persecution , but UNHCR was helping over a million persons return home every year . Global refugee numbers were declining , and old wars had recently been laid to rest in Angola , Liberia , Sierra Leone and South Sudan to make way for reconstruction and hope . Some of my colleagues were even wondering if UNHCR was going to have a future in these circumstances . But things have taken a turn for the worse . Today , there are more than 60 million refugees , asylumseekers and internally displaced persons worldwide as a result of conflict and persecution … The world has changed in these ten years . There has been meaningful economic growth , the number of absolute poor has decreased to a record low as the World Bank announced this morning , technological advances have brought many important benefits . But it is also true that the world has become more fragile , conflicts have spread in unpredictable ways , and the nature of conflict has grown highly complex . One of the consequences has been a shrinking of humanitarian space , which has made the work of organizations like UNHCR much more difficult and hazardous … To prevent a new spiral of fragility and instability , development actors have to be given more flexibility and better tools to act early and quickly , to stabilize and to build resilience . To achieve this , we need a fundamental review of the strategies and policies of bilateral and multilateral development cooperation … For us humanitarians , it is of course essential to preserve the autonomy of humanitarian space , to enable us to act on behalf of all people who require our help , in full respect of the principles of independence , neutrality and impartiality . But we must also recognize that from the point of view of strategic analysis , humanitarian , development and security issues are three faces of the same complex reality … UNHCR has been working hard to strengthen our partnership with development actors … But much remains to be done to bring about the culture change that is necessary to facilitate closer links between humanitarian and development interventions . There is an opportunity to do this now , as governments just agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals for the next 15 years . The SDGs are an important step forward , although they – like most development cooperation policies – still do not sufficiently take into account the reality that vast parts of the world today are mired in conflicts . But the principle of universality , the pledge that no one shall be left behind , and the explicit recognition that refugees and internally displaced people are among the most vulnerable , are a key entry point for ensuring the conflict dimension is not overlooked in the SDGs . UNHCR will identify a number of countries where refugees constitute a statistically significant portion of the population , and work with national authorities and donors to meet the SDGs in a way that includes all population groups … For UNHCR , not leaving anyone behind also means achieving a durable solution , allowing refugees to restart their lives and be productive members of society … UNHCR has therefore been focusing on new approaches , emphasizing comprehensive solutions strategies and working with partners and governments to strengthen refugees ’ resilience and self-reliance in the near term and to prepare for solutions in the future … for me , there are two more aspects that the [ World Humanitarian ] Summit should not ignore . The first is the humanitariandevelopment connection , which I have already mentioned . But the second is the imperative of building a more inclusive humanitarian system that better reflects the universal character of the values guiding our work and allows us to join the capacities of all humanitarian actors in the response . We have to overcome the current situation of different organizations from different cultural backgrounds sometimes working in parallel without effective coordination , which can result in gaps and overlaps and only hurts those we are trying to help . It is obvious that a truly universal humanitarian community can never be achieved by translating perspectives from one part of the world into a “ one size fits all ” approach . Instead , in order to move beyond the essentially Western creation that is the present multilateral system and build a more universal partnership , we should focus on something that is already there but often overlooked – our shared basis of humanitarian values that spans all cultures . Refugee protection is an excellent example that humanitarian values are universal but being sometimes expressed differently . All major religions embrace the values and principles underpinning refugee protection – showing compassion and generosity towards people in need , sheltering persecuted strangers , and even early equivalents of the concept of nonrefoulement … UNHCR and the humanitarian world will be very different twenty years from now . The future will be determined by our readiness to change and adapt , provided that this change takes place within the same framework of organizational values – the respect for humanitarian principles , human dignity , diversity and human rights . Opening remarks at the 66th session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner ’ s Programme . António Guterres , United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees . Geneva , 5 October 2015 64 DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT Procyk Radek / Shutterstock . com 26 TRADE & FINANCE The time is now for sustainable investing . It is no longer an investment approach that is pursued by niche , ethical or impact investors . Sustainable investing is going mainstream . But , with the world facing unprecedented challenges such as irreversible climate change and massive environmental degradation , we need much more . And , for that , we need strong policy action . Industry action is critical but we cannot rely on a market-led transformation alone – it must also be policy-led . Leadership from within the industry The good news is that we are beginning to see real leadership from a broad range of investors , particularly on the need to drive substantial capital towards addressing climate change challenges . As a recent example , an industry-led statement on climate change has been signed by over 370 leading institutional investors , representing assets of over US $ 24trillion . Through this statement , institutional investors are calling for stronger political leadership and for the more ambitious policies urgently needed in order for climate investments to be scaled up . This commitment by major investors is highly significant . Investors are part of the solution Smart investors can and will be at the heart of change , not least because of a growing awareness that they are facing the prospect of significant losses and erosion of value from climate change and environmental damage . At the conservative end , the Economist Intelligence Unit recently calculated that the resulting expected losses from climate change to the current stock of manageable assets in discounted , present value terms are valued at US $ 4.2trn , roughly on a par with the total value of all the world ’ s listed oil and gas companies or Japan ’ s entire GDP ( Economist Intelligence Unit , 2015 ). Warming of 6 degrees Celsius could lead to a present value loss of US $ 13.8trn , representing roughly 10 % of global total assets . Jessica Robinson , Chief Executive Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia ( ASrIA ) THE TIME IS NOW FOR SUSTAINABLE INVESTING : BUT WE NEED STRONGER POLICY ACTION “ The good news is that we are beginning to see real leadership from a broad range of investors , particularly on the need to drive substantial capital towards addressing climate change challenges .” But investors recognize that this is not only about risk management and likely value erosion . There are widespread opportunities associated with low carbon and climate resilient growth , many of which are clearly profitable , particularly in sectors focused on resource management , energy efficiency , green infrastructure and buildings . And solving the energy conundrum is at the core of sustainable growth , particularly in emerging markets . In Asia alone , a massive investment of US $ 3.6tn is needed to equip the region with the power capacity needed by 2030 . Two thirds of that sum will be spent on renewable generation technologies such as wind , solar and hydro-electric . The market potential is huge and obvious . Significant investment is required to finance the low carbon transition Despite the rationale behind why climate investment makes sense , much more is needed : a significant shift in investment patterns and a scale-up in investment volume are required to meet climate and energy goals . These goals can only be achieved if governments create conducive investment environments through appropriate incentives and mechanisms to facilitate private sector engagement and capital flows . Policy makers must support the transition Policy emphasis should be placed on supporting the development and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in parallel with measures to reduce fossil fuel dependencies . Redirecting subsidies and adopting other mechanisms , such as fiscal measures , that support the adoption of climate friendly technologies are to be encouraged . Carbon pricing is also crucial to addressing climate change . The longer governments do not take action on tackling this market failure , the longer institutional investors will be unable to accurately price in the risks . Similarly , disincentives are needed to avoid , reduce and manage polluting industries and land use conversion – particularly of tropical peat land forest . Care needs to be taken to ensure that climate resilient infrastructure and large-scale renewable energy projects are developed with appropriate environmental and social safeguards in place , these ideally being considered during strategic land use planning to ensure that any anticipated significant adverse impacts on sensitive receivers , including existing community users , can either be avoided or satisfactorily addressed well in advance of any physical development . Investing sustainably is going mainstream in part because there is a growing awareness of the massive risks of not doing so . Examples such as major pension and endowment funds divesting out of fossil fuel companies and of the soaring demand for environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) funds are evidence of this . But strong policy is needed to create a basis for investors to seek out opportunities that have a production and consumption profile more aligned with low carbon , low pollution , and resource efficient growth . Against the backdrop of international climate negotiations , investors can and will play their part in building a sustainable future . But so too must governments . � Image : www . shutterstock . com 44 ENERGY ENERGY ACCESS THROUGH OFF-GRID RENEWABLES : ENABLING THE TRANSITION The UN ’ s 17 Sustainable Development Goals , approved at the UN General Assembly in September , seek to eradicate poverty while healing and securing our planet . A central component of this agenda is to ensure universal access to clean , reliable electricity . For those of us living with electricity , it is easy to forget the social and economic impact of going without . Power shortages cut economic growth by 2 to 4 per cent annually . Households without electricity pay 60 to 80 times more for energy-related products – charcoal , candles and kerosene – than people in New York or London . Health clinics without electricity struggle to refrigerate much needed medicines and exposure to smoke from wood-fired cook stoves cause 4.3 million premature deaths per year . Great strides have been made in the last two decades to increase global access to electricity , with nearly two billion more people connected today than in 1990 , but there is still too large a gap between the haves and the have nots . More than one billion people , mostly in rural areas , still lack access while another one billion have unreliable supply . Renewable energy , specifically off-grid renewable energy , has a key role to play in closing this gap . Renewables are now the default choice for off-grid installations in most rural and peri-urban areas and IRENA estimates off-grid solutions can meet the majority , roughly 60 per cent , of the demand . Thanks to dramatic cost reductions in recent years , renewable technologies are now the most economic option for off-grid electrification . They can be significantly cheaper than diesel-fired generation or kerosene-based conventional lighting , the dominant sources of rural electricity supply . For example , if Nigeria used modern off-grid lighting solutions , it would save more than USD 1.4 billion annually . Replacing all the kerosene , candles and batteries used annually for off-grid lighting would also save Nigeria the equivalent of 17.3 million barrels of crude oil per year . Beyond pure costs , the modular nature of off-grid renewables allows them to be customised to meet local needs and be deployed rapidly . For example , Bangladesh ’ s solar home system programme deployed 280,000 solar home systems in six years between 2002 and 2008 . Today , it deploys the same number in fewer than five months . The programme now benefits over 13 million beneficiaries or nine per cent of the total population . The business case for deploying off-grid renewables in rural areas has never been stronger , and innovative business models are emerging to encourage growth in the sector . But further tapping into this vast potential will require collective efforts to create an enabling environment that supports the scale-up of energy access efforts through private sector participation . This includes adopting an effective policy and regulatory framework , along with tailored business and financing models and adapting technologies to the rural context . If the enabling environment is appropriate , off-grid solutions can be deployed rapidly to extend electricity access for meeting basic needs but also for promoting productive uses , as modelled by the Bangladesh solar home system programme . These enabling policies can also create a more secure environment to encourage investment . We currently invest USD nine billion a year on energy access , but USD 45 billion is needed to achieve universal access . This investment is be to trickle in . For example , the US-led P Africa ’ s “ Beyond the Grid ” initiative com one billion over the next five years to se scale distributed energy solutions , and Development Bank will loan USD 180 m Africa projects improving access to ele through off-grid solutions . Efforts made to increase energy acces other sectors critical to human develop Access to electricity can improve the a and reliability of the water supply . It can facilitate extension of basic rural healthc and enable the outreach of telecommu services in rural or island contexts , ther contributing to the UN Sustainable Dev Goals . This complementarity presents a comp for policy-makers to adopt a more holis to energy access and to include it as a to stimulate economy-wide developme poverty and improve livelihoods , all wh the planet from the dangerous effects o change . � Adnan Amin , IRENA Director-General GENDER EQUALITY AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT In September 2015 , world leaders launched the new global development agenda encompassing the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ). In December , at COP21 in Paris , a new international climate agreement is expected to be reached . These agreements offer a once in a generation opportunity to achieve the sustainable and inclusive development people everywhere seek . Gender equality and women ’ s empowerment must be priorities in these agendas . Despite notable progress in some areas , gender inequality remains a major impediment to the advancement of women and to development . While the number of women in paid employment has increased , women do remain disproportionately represented in vulnerable employment . Women ’ s wages continue on average to be between four to 36 per cent lower than men ’ s . Overall , women are less likely than men to have access to decent work , assets , and formal credit . And women comprise only 22 per cent of the world ’ s parliamentarians . Nations have made many commitments to gender equality from the time of agreement to the provisions of the United Nations Charter , the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women , the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action , right through to the Millennium Declaration . Their Helen Clark , UNDP Administrator and Chair of the UN Development Group commitments are reiterated in “ the 2030 Agenda for Global Action ” which sets out the new SDGs . The challenge now is to turn words into action with and for women . There is now widespread recognition that gender equality is both a matter of human rights and is catalytic for growth and development . Studies show that children born to women with some formal education are more likely to survive to their fifth birthday , receive adequate nutrition , and be immunized and enrolled in school .[ 1 ] Access to sexual and reproductive health services enables women to plan their families and expand their opportunities , and it also helps reduce both maternal and child mortality . Empowering women helps drive economic growth , making investing in gender equality important to the G20 agenda . At the last G20 Summit in Brisbane , leaders rightly agreed on “ the goal of reducing the gap in participation rates between men and women by 25 per cent by 2025 , taking into account national circumstances , to bring more than 100 million women into the labour force , and significantly increase global growth and reduce poverty and inequality ”. This is an important step . Reducing gender inequality in a major sector like agriculture is vital for enhancing economic growth , food security , and the well-being of families and communities . According to a report by the United Nation ’ s Food and Agriculture Organization , while women supply nearly half of global agricultural labor , they do not reap the same rewards as their male counterparts . The report contends that if women had the same access to productive resources as men , they could increase yields on their farms by twenty to thirty per cent . That could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 to four per cent per annum , and reduce the number of hungry people in the world by twelve to seventeen per cent . The need to level the playing field for women farmers is recognized in SDG 2 on ending hunger , which includes the target of doubling by 2030 the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers , namely women , through equal access to land , and to resources such as financial services and markets . Under the leadership of the Turkish Presidency , G20 members are about to adopt an Action Plan on Food Security and Sustainable Food Systems , through which they will support food system employment and entrepreneurial opportunities , in particular for smallholders including women and youth . In many places , women bear the primary responsibility for growing food , managing natural resources , and securing the energy needs of their families . The new climate agreement must respond to and support the central role of women in building climate-resilience and supporting low emission development . Because women are so often on the frontlines of climate change and disasters , their full participation in global policymaking and implementation , including in the new Paris accord , is vital for action on climate change . The United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) makes achieving gender equality a central focus of its efforts to eradicate poverty . Our work includes preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence , which persists everywhere . It includes providing support for genderresponsive economic policy-making and women ’ s participation in decision-making , including for peace making and peace building . This focus is reinforced by SDG 16 , which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development , including by ensuring responsive , inclusive , participatory , and representative decisionmaking at all levels . There is no silver bullet for achieving sustainable development , but investing in gender equality is certainly a critical component of our efforts build a more inclusive , sustainable , and resilient world . � “ There is now widespread recognition that gender equality is both a matter of human rights and is catalytic for growth and development . Studies show that children born to women with some formal education are more likely to survive to their fifth birthday , receive adequate nutrition , and be immunized and enrolled in school .” 74 DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT Image : www . shutterstock . com me is now for sustainable investing . It onger an investment approach that is ed by niche , ethical or impact investors . inable investing is going mainstream . with the world facing unprecedented nges such as irreversible climate change massive environmental degradation , we much more . And , for that , we need g policy action . Industry action is al but we cannot rely on a market-led ormation alone – it must also be -led . ship from within the industry od news is that we are beginning to see real leadership broad range of investors , particularly on the need to bstantial capital towards addressing climate change es . As a recent example , an industry-led statement ate change has been signed by over 370 leading onal investors , representing assets of over US $ 24trillion gh this statement , institutional investors are calling for r political leadership and for the more ambitious policies needed in order for climate investments to be scaled commitment by major investors is highly significant . rs are part of the solution nvestors can and will be at the heart of change , not cause of a growing awareness that they are facing the ct of significant losses and erosion of value from climate and environmental damage . At the conservative end , nomist Intelligence Unit recently calculated that the g expected losses from climate change to the current manageable assets in discounted , present value re valued at US $ 4.2trn , roughly on a par with the total all the world ’ s listed oil and gas companies or Japan ’ s DP ( Economist Intelligence Unit , 2015 ). Warming grees Celsius could lead to a present value loss of 8trn , representing roughly 10 % of global total assets . a Robinson , Chief Executive iation for Sustainable and nsible Investment in Asia ( ASrIA ) But investors recognize that this is not only about risk management and likely value erosion . There are widespread opportunities associated with low carbon and climate resilient growth , many of which are clearly profitable , particularly in sectors focused on resource management , energy efficiency , green infrastructure and buildings . And solving the energy conundrum is at the core of sustainable growth , particularly in emerging markets . In Asia alone , a massive investment of US $ 3.6tn is needed to equip the region with the power capacity needed by 2030 . Two thirds of that sum will be spent on renewable generation technologies such as wind , solar and hydro-electric . The market potential is huge and obvious . Significant investment is required to finance the low carbon transition Despite the rationale behind why climate investment makes sense , much more is needed : a significant shift in investment patterns and a scale-up in investment volume are required to meet climate and energy goals . These goals can only be achieved if governments create conducive investment environments through appropriate incentives and mechanisms to facilitate private sector engagement and capital flows . Policy makers must support the transition Policy emphasis should be placed on supporting the development and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in parallel el with measures to reduce fossil fuel dependencies . Redirecting subsidies and adopting other mechanisms , such as fiscal measures , that support the adoption of climate friendly technologies are to be encouraged . Carbon pricing is also crucial to addressing climate change . The longer governments do not take action on tackling this market failure , the longer institutional investors will be unable to accurately price in the risks . Similarly , disincentives are needed to avoid , reduce and manage polluting industries and land use conversion – particularly of tropical peat land forest . Care needs to be taken to ensure that climate resilient infrastruct cture and large-scale renewable energy projects are developed with appropriate environmental and social safeguards in place , these ideally being considered during strategic land use planning to ensure that any anticipated significant adverse impacts on sensitive receivers , including existing community users , can either be avoided or satisfactorily addressed well in advance of any physical development . Investing sustainably is going mainstream in part because there is a growing awareness of the massive risk sks of not doing so . Examples such as major pension and endowment funds divesting out of fossil fuel companies and of the soaring demand for environmental , so social and governance ( ESG ) funds are evidence of this . But strong policy is needed to create a basis for investors to seek out opportunities that have a production and consumption profile more aligned with low carbon , low pollution , and resource efficient growth . Against the backdrop of international climate negotiations , investors can and will play their part in building a sustainable future . But so too must governments . � Image : www . shutterstock . com L TRADE ong its 161 members – making it an easingly critical pillar of today ’ s system of bal governance . le progress in the Doha Development enda – the latest in a long line of trade unds ’ – has proved very difficult , a wing list of new WTO agreements – ering everything from customs reform , nformation technology products , to ernment procurement , to financial and telecommunications services – are opening up new trade opportunities , in new sectors , often in innovative ways . It is estimated that the 2013 WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement alone could have a bigger impact on reducing trade costs than the elimination of all remaining global tariffs . The July 2015 agreement to expand the scope of the WTO Information Technology Agreement , promises to eliminate tariffs on high tech products which represent 7 per cent of global trade – more than trade in textiles , apparel , iron and steel combined . The WTO ’ s 10th ministerial conference in Nairobi this December ( the first such event to be held in Africa ), will be an opp pportunity to advance negotiations and to deliver some further significant outcomes in support of growth and development . Indeed , supporting development is now a central element of the WTO ’ s work . Since 1995 , the developing countries ’ share of global merchandise trade has grown from 27 per cent to over 43 per cent – and their share of global GDP has risen from 41 per cent to over 53 per cent . Emerging economies have become indispensable drivers of the global economy , as well as leading voices in the international economic system . There are many reasons why developing countries have achieved economic lift-off , but surely none is more important than their integration into the global economy – a process that has depended , in turn , on today ’ s extraordinarily open , reliable and secure world trading system . However , the WTO ’ s short history is obviously not one of unbroken success . Disappointing progress in the long-running Doha Round is a lingering and high profile reminder . But it important to recognise that the WTO ’ s contribution to the world economy in general , and to development in particular , is much broader than the Doha negotiations , even as they remain a key element of our work . Non-multilateral initiatives will naturally continue to blossom , but we must maintain the WTO as a strong and comprehensive foundation of of global trade . The WTO was not the first attempt to create a global trading system , nor the first st time that policy makers aimed to realize the vision of global peace through shared prosperity . After the Second World War , the international community also saw the building of an open global trading system as essential precursor to building a new post-war international order . But the bold plan to create an International Trade Organization soon fell victim to Cold War rivalries and waning support for internationalism . It was not until the WTO ’ s creation five decades later that the dream of a permanent and global trade organization was realized – making the WTO the first truly international institution of the post-Cold War era playing a key role in global economic governance . The WTO is ultimately the result , not the cause , of members ’ willingness to coope ness to cooperate on trade . Its creation and subsequent success reflects the growing realization among mo on among more and more countries that trade opening can lead to growth and development , that agreed rules strengthen , not weaken , sovereig eignty , and that advancing our national interests increasingly depends on advancing our collective interests . As today ’ s global economy grows increasingl ows increasingly open , interdependent and multipolar , it is clear that enhancing cooperation in international trade is becoming more , not less , importa ot less , important . But just because the WTO is important doe s important do s not make it invulnerable . The WT WTO ’ s first twenty years have been successful because of membe cause of mem rs ’ firm commitment to the system and o the system an constructive decisions . This attitude will be fundamental in ensuring that the next twenty years are as successful . There are many reasons hy developing countries ave achieved economic ft-off , but surely none more important than heir integration into the lobal economy ” s of greater energy ability . In return , the IEA riences . electricity to more around half a billion its own borders , with nd other regions e world ’ s largest solar PV capacity each will overtake Germany n the world . No discussion of low-carbon energy would be complete without a mention of nuclear , and China has huge ambitions for its nuclear sector . Right now , of the 67 reactors being built globally , more than one-third are here in China But another story that is less well-known is China ’ s expansion of hydropower and its impacts . According to IEA analysis , in fact , the emissions avoided in China over the last 10 years thanks to its increase in hydropower capacity alone are greater than all the emissions avoided in the United States as a result of the switch from coal to natural gas during the same time . We also recognise and applaud the steps taken by China , not only to lower its reliance on coal , but also to improve the efficiency of its coal use . Again , according to IEA analysis , thanks to tighter domestic regulation , the efficiency of the coal-fired power fleet in China is now higher than that of the OECD average . Another very impressive achievement . But there is still a long way to go , in China as elsewhere , before we are on a pathway towards a more sustainable energy future . We have shown that – even though China has pledged to achieve a peak in its carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 , if not earlier – the world as a whole is not on track to replicate this achievement , with global emissions still projected to be on an increasing trend by that date . We need to do more than weaken the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions : we need to harness technology and policy in a united effort to break this link completely . In this area , China is one of the leaders of global efforts . This country has created significant , positive political momentum ahead of the climate negotiations in Paris later this year . As I wrote in the People ’ s Daily newspaper back in July , China ’ s constructive leadership deserves applause .… But China still has many important policy cy challenges ahead , on which the IEA Secretariat and IEA member countries have valuable experience to share . For example , one such area is air pollution as a result of coal combustion , vehicle exhaust , industrial operations and construction , which is now a serious problem affecting many Chinese cities . IEA members have faced similar problems in the past , and so we have an opportunity to draw on these experiences and find solutions together . There are also questions of efficient market operation and design , as well as deployment of low carbon te technologies and designing energy efficiency policies …. In some fields , such as ultra-high-voltage electricity transmission , China is leading and IEA members can benefit . In others , the experience of IEA members could provide insights for China . We also have a strong convergence of interest in the core area of energy security ... In short , we must make room for China under the IEA umbrella in ord rder to safeguard and extend the benefits of collective energy security . We are also prepared to work to support China ’ s constructive perspective in leading global energy discussions . During its G20 presidency next year , China will be in a position to propose an ambitious energy agenda . Improving energy efficiency , renewable energy , global energy governance and energy access – in addition to other energy topics to be agreed by the G20 – are among the issues that the world will benefit from during China ’ s G20 presidency … And so I repeat my call for the start of a new era : If China and the IEA can work together , China benefits . If China and the IEA can work together , the IEA benefits . If China and the IEA can work together , the world benefits . This is my appeal to you today . Let ’ s start a new era . Let ’ s work together . Together – and very closely . Thank you very much . Xièxiè . “ No discussio ion of lowcarbon energ rgy would be complete without a ment ntion of nuclear , and China has huge ambition ons for its nuclear sector . r . Right now , of th the 67 reac acto tors being built globally , y , more than onethird are here re in China ” Image : www . shutterstock . com OPENING N OF THE E HIGH E . GENEVA ago , there y conflict and lion persons e declining , Liberia , Sierra on and hope . CR was going to But things have taken a turn for the worse . Today , there are more than 60 million refugees , asylumseekers and internally displaced persons worldwide as a result of conflict and persecution … The world has changed in these ten years . There has been meaningful economic growth , the number of absolute poor has decreased to a record low as the World Bank announced this morning , technological advances have brought many important benefits . But it is also true that the world has become more fragile , conflicts have spread in unpredictable ways , and the nature of conflict has grown highly complex . One of the consequences has been a shrinking of humanitarian space , which has made the work of organizations like UNHCR much more difficult and hazardous … To prevent a new spiral of f ffragility and instability , development actors have to be given more flexibility and better tools to act early and quickly , to stabilize and to build resilience . To achieve this , we need a fundamental review of the strategies and policies of bilateral and multilateral development cooperation … For us humanitarians , it is of course essential to preserve the autonomy of humanitarian space , to enable us to act on behalf of all people who require our help , in full respect of the principles of independence , neutrality and impartiality . But we must also recognize that from the point of view of strategic analysis , humanitarian , development and security issues are three faces of the same complex reality … UNHCR has been working hard to strengthen our partnership with develop opment actors … But much remains to be done to bring about the culture change that is necessary to facilitate closer links between humanitarian and development interventions . There is an opportunity to do this now , as governments just agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals for the next 15 years . The SDGs are an important step forward , although they – like most development coop operation policies – still do not sufficiently take into account the reality that vast parts of the world today are mired in conflicts . But the principle of universality , the pledge that no one shall be left behind , and the explicit recognition that refugees and internally displaced people are among the most vulnerable , are a key entry point for ensuring the conflict dimension is not overlooked in the SDGs . UNHCR will identify a number of countries where refugees constitute a statistically significant portion of the population , and work with national authorities and donors to meet the SDGs in a way that includes all population groups … For UNHCR , not leaving anyone behind also means achieving a durable solution , allowing refugees to restart their lives and be productive members of society … UNHCR has therefore been focusing on new approaches , emphasizing comprehensive solutions strategies and working with partners and governments to strengthen refugees ’ resilience and self-reliance in the near term and to prepare for solutions in the future … for me , there are two more aspects that the [ World Humanitarian ] Summit should not ignore . The first is the humanitariandevelopment connection , which I have already mentioned . But the second is the imperative of building a more inclusive humanitarian system that better reflects the universal character of the values guiding our work and allows us to join the capacities of all humanitarian actors in the response . We have to overcome the current situation of different organizati tions from different cultural backgrounds sometimes working in parallel without effective coordination , which can result in gaps and overlaps and only hurts those we are trying to help . It is obvious that a truly universal humanitarian communit ity can never be achieved by translating perspectives from one part of the world into a “ one size fits all ” approach . Instead , in order to move beyond the essentially Western creation that is the present multilateral system and build a more universal partnership , we should focus on something that is already there but often overlooked – our shared basis of humanitarian values that at spans all cultures . Refugee protection is an excel ellent example that humanitarian values sal but are univers being sometimes expressed All differently . major religions embrace the values ples un and princip derpinning refugee protection – showing compass – showing ion and generosity towards need , s people in n heltering persecuted strangers , early eq and even e uivalents of the concept of nonrefoulement … refoulemen UNHCR and the hum UNHCR a anitarian world will be very different twenty different tw years from now . The future will be determined by our determined readiness to change and adapt , provided that thi provided th s change takes place within the same framework of same fram organizational values – the respect for – the respe humanitarian principles , human dignity , di human dig versity and human rights . DEVELOPMENT Procyk Radek / Shutterstock . com S AN ENT OF LE ome ns a major ent of While the ployment main d in en ’ s wages tween four n ’ s . Overall , n to have s , and formal only 22 per arians . mmitments me of f the United Declaration tion on the crimination eclaration hrough Their commitments are reiterated in “ the 2030 Agenda for Global Action ” which sets out the new SDGs . The challenge now is to turn words into action with and for women . There is now widespread recognition that gender equality is both a matter of human rights and is catalytic for growth and development . Studies show that children born to women with some formal education are more likely to survive to their fifth birthday , receive adequate nutrition , and be immunized and enrolled in school .[ 1 ] Access to sexual and reproductive health services enables women to plan their families and expand their opportunities , and it also helps reduce both maternal and child mortality . Empowering women helps drive economic growth , making investing in gender equality important to the G20 agenda . At the last G20 Summit in Brisbane , leaders rightly agreed on “ the goal of reducing the gap in participation rates between men and women by 25 per cent by 2025 , taking into account national circumstances , to bring more than 100 million women into the labour force , and significantly increase global growth and reduce poverty and inequality ”. This is an important step . Reducing gender inequality in a major sector like agriculture is vital for enhancing economic growth , food security , and the well-being of families and communities . According to a report by the United Nation ’ s Food and Agriculture Organization , while women supply nearly half of global agricultural labor , they do not reap the same rewards as their male counterparts . The report contends that if women had the same access to productive resources as men , they could increase yields on their farms by twenty to thirty per cent . That could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 to four per cent per annum , and reduce the number of hungry people in the world by twelve to seventeen per cent . The need to level the playing field for women farmers is recognized in SDG 2 on ending hunger , which includes the target of doubling by 2030 the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers , namely women , through equal access to land , and to resources suc uch as financial services and markets . Under the leadership of the Turkish Presidency , G20 members are about to adopt an Action Plan on Food Security and Sustainable Food Systems , through which they will support food system employ oyment and entrepreneurial opportunities , in particular for smallholders including women and youth . In many places , women bear the primary responsibility for growing food , managing natural resources , and securing the energy needs of their families . The new climate agreement must respond to and support the central role of women in building climate-resilience and supporting low emission development . Because women are so ofte ten on the frontlines of climate change and disaste ters , their full participation in in global policymaking and implementation , including in the new Paris accord , is vital for action on climate change . The United Nations De Development Programme ( UNDP ) makes achieving gender equality a central focus of its efforts to eradicate poverty . Our work includes preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence , which persists everywhere . It includes providing support for genderresponsive economic policy-making and women ’ s participation in decision-making , including for peace making and pea eace building . This focus is reinforced by SDG 16 , which aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development , including by ensuring responsive , inclusive , participatory , y , and representative decisionmaking at all levels . There is no silver bullet et for achieving sustainable development , but investing in gender equality is certainly a critical component of our efforts build a more inclusive , sustainable , and resilient world . � “ There is now widespread recogn gnition that gender equality is both a matter er of human rights and is catalytic for growth th and development . Studi dies show that children born to women with some formal educ uca cation are more likely to survi vive to their fif fift fth bir h irthday , receive adequate nutrition , and b d be be immunized and enrolled in school .” DEVELOPMENT Image : www . shutterstock . com HROUGH ABLES : approved at the UN cate poverty while ponent of this agenda electricity . d economic impact of going annually . Households without harcoal , candles and kerosene city struggle to refrigerate cook stoves cause 4.3 million global access to electricity , but there is still too large a gap between the haves and the have nots . More than one billion people , mostly in rural areas , still lack access while another one billion have unreliable supply . Renewable energy , specifically off-grid renewable energy , has a key role to play in closing this gap . Renewables are now the default choice for off-grid installations in most rural and peri-urban areas and IRENA estimates off-grid solutions can meet the majority , roughly 60 per cent , of the demand . Thanks to dramatic cost reductions in recent years , renewable technologies are now the most economic option for off-grid electrification . They can be significantly cheaper than diesel-fired generation or kerosene-based conventional lighting , the dominant sources of rural electricity supply . For example , if Nigeria used modern off-grid lighting solutions , it would save more than USD 1.4 billion annually . Replacing all the kerosene , candles and batteries used annually for off-grid lighting would also save Nigeria the equivalent of 17.3 million barrels of crude oil per year . Beyond pure costs , the modular nature of off-grid renewables allows them to be customised to meet local needs and be deployed rapidly . For example , Bangladesh ’ s solar home system programme deployed 280,000 so solar home systems in six years between 2002 and 2008 . Today , it deploys the same number in fewer than five months . The programme now benefits over 13 million beneficiaries or nine per cent of the total population . The business case for deploying off-grid renewables in rural ar areas has never been stronger , and innovative business models are emerging to encourage growth in the sector . But further tapping into this vast potential will require collective efforts to create an enabling environment that supports the scale-up of energy access efforts through private sector participation . This includes adopting an effective policy and regulatory framework , along with tailored business and financing models and adapting technologies to the rural context . If the enabling environment is appropriate , off-grid solutions can be deployed rapidly to extend electricity access for meeting basic needs but also for promoting productive uses , as modelled by the Bangladesh solar home system programme . These enabling policies can also create a more secure environment to encourage investment . We currently invest USD nine billion a year on energy access , but USD 45 billion is needed to achieve universal access . This investment is be to trickle in . For example , the US-led P Africa ’ s “ Beyond the Grid ” initiative com one billion over the next fiv five years to se scale distributed energy solutions , and Development Bank will loa oan USD 180 m Africa projects improving access to ele through off-grid solutions . Efforts made to increase energy acces other sectors critical to human develop Access to electricity can improve the ac and reliability of the water supply . It can facilitate extension of basic rural healthc and enable the outreach of telecommu services in rural or island contexts , ther contributing to the UN Sus ustainable Dev Goals . This complementarity presents a comp for pol olicy-makers to adopt a more holis to energy access and to include it as a to stimulate economy-wide de developme poverty and improve livelihoods , all wh the planet from the dangerous effects o change . � 26 64 74 40 44 16