Third Annual World Climate Summit COP18 Gets Off in Doha Tomorrow

Doha, December 01 (QNA) - The third annual World Climate Summit is set to start at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Doha tomorrow, Sunday on the sidelines of the COP18 conference , now in progress in Doha. The minister of energy and industry HE Dr. Mohamed bin Saleh Al Sada, will attend the summit together with Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC; Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissioner for Climate Action; HE Fahad Al Attiyah, Chairman Qatar National Food Security Programme will join CEOs from Philips, Doha Bank, Iberdrola, Islamic Development Bank, Global Environment Fund, Pension Denmark, and many other distinguished speakers such as Mary Robinson, ex-President of Ireland. A press release the summit chairmanship issued here Saturday said in order to complement the top-down UNFCCC policy process, global leaders, Qatar Ministers and CEOs are convening at the largest business, finance and government summit during the COP18 on Sunday 2 December at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Doha. The third annual World Climate Summit allows the public and private sector to come together, learn from each other, and come up with finance, business and policy solutions to climate change. Together they will discuss and tackle issues pertaining to the UNFCCC including the Green Climate Fund, Public Private Partnerships, Technology Transfer, and will come up with other bottom-up solutions including tackling the Global Energy Mix, Resource Efficiency, smart infrastructure for cities and regions and in the Middle East and Qatar in particular due to its active position in the transition to a Green Economy, promoting the development of new policies, energies, standards and technologies for the reduction of carbon emissions. The summit falls in line and complements the remit of the UNFCCC. In this context, the summit functions as a separate, independent and progressive platform, providing the premium medium through which the business, finance and political stakeholders can communicate solutions, engage in partnerships and complement the official UNFCCC COP 18 negotiations. Since 2010, The World Climate Summit is the largest business and finance conference during the COP18 bringing together a coalition of organisations representing hundreds of businesses and trillions of assets under management. This year s sponsors include Siemens, Philips, Iberdrola, BMW Group, and more than 20 Institutional Partners such as the European Investment Bank, State of Green, the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, International Chamber of Commerce, World Energy Council, UNDP, The Climate Group, Carbon Disclosure Project, World Green Building Council, Qatar Green Building Council, and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. The World Climate Summit 2012 is part of a 10-year process (2020), which started with the inaugural World Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico in 2010. The annual World Climate Summit takes stock of the state of the world climate and the low-carbon economy, and identifies the industrial, financial, political and innovation drivers needed to accelerate progress in mitigating and adapting to climate change. It is the goal of the World Climate Summit to provide and communicate concrete deliverables to the global community: toolbox of best practice, disruptive innovations, new policies, initiatives and technologies. The high-level conference is aimed at the climate arena s leading 500+ decision-makers: CEOs, thought-leaders, business executives, investors, entrepreneurs, philanthropic figures, national, regional and city leaders from organisations such as Qatar Foundation, UNDP, The World Bank, Siemens, Iberdrola, PWC, Ernst and Young, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, European Investment Bank, The Climate Group, Global Wind Energy Council, Danish Energy Association, Carbon Disclosure Project, Philips, International Bank of Qatar, Commercial Bank, Pension Danmark, State of Green, GE, Qatar Investment Authority, UNEP, Novozymes, Alstom, Deloitte, Doha Film Institute, Starwood Hotels, Asian Development Bank, Total, Bank of America, National Australia Bank, AECOM, Aon, CLP Holdings, Shell, Sotheby's, Dow Chemical, BP, Bayer AG, Baker & McKenzie, Atkins, Accenture, Atkins, Clinton Foundation, Conservation International, WWF, Maersk, Oryx, Sasol, Qatar Football Association, Bloomberg News, Kyodo News, Qatar Tribune, Internews, Gulf Times, Deutsche Welle, Swiss Public Radio, Al Arab, ARD German Radio, UN News, SPIEGEL Online, ClimateWire and more than 20 governments. It is worth to mention that the World Climate Summit: The World Climate Summit (WCS) is the largest business, finance and government conference on the sidelines of COP18. WCS provides a global platform for high-level CEOs, Ministers, and Investors to discuss, develop and scale bottom-up solutions to climate change and complement the top-down UNFCCC process. This year's speakers include many Ministers from Qatar, EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, Christiana Figueres and many CEOs. (QNA)