The first Ecumene 2021 Congress on sustainable development in the financial sector was held in Moscow
October 01, 2021
On September 29-30, Skolkovo hosted the Ecumene 2021 Congress: Financing Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change. Experts discussed the climate agenda, the new economic model and ways to manage financial risks arising against the backdrop of the global trend to abandon dirty energy sources.
According to the participants, trillions of dollars of investment will be required to achieve the sustainable development goals, as well as the formation of common rules that everyone understands and implements. Countries should agree on an environmental impact assessment and compensation mechanisms. The Congress was held with the support of the UN, and Gazprombank became the general partner.
Representatives of Russian and foreign banks, departments and organizations took part in the congress. The climate agenda, changes in the economy, global trends in ESG and disclosure of information on sustainable development were the main topics of discussion. The event was held ahead of the Glasgow climate conference. It will be held in November, the participating countries will present their strategies and programs to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Within the framework of the section „The Energy Sector in the Era of Energy Transition“ at the ECUMENE Congress 2021, the procedure for the competent implementation of the energy transition, as well as the achievement of an energy balance, were considered. According to the moderator of the discussion, the first vice-president of Gazprombank Natalia Tretyak, the relevance of the energy transition has long ceased to be a debatable issue on the world agenda, since the need for such a transition is recognized by everyone.
Sergey Korotkov, Director of the UNIDO Centre for International Industrial Cooperation in the Russian Federation, took part in the session “The Energy Sector in the Era of Energy Transition”.
“In order to move in one direction, you need to have a general plan — and there are prerequisites for its development. One of the important initiatives is the creation of a UN-based working group on the methodology for calculating greenhouse gas emissions”, — said Mr. Korotkov, — „UNIDO dealing with the issue of industry development and ecology safety, is just right place for this — we have both a methodology and techniques for such calculations that could be applied by all UN member states“.
The section has become an important platform for the exchange of experience during the period of energy transition. It has demonstrated that there are ways for cooperation between the EU and Russia. “I am sure that such a platform as ECUMENE will allow us to reach a consensus and our common goal — to preserve nature and pass it on to our children in a flourishing state,” — summed up the meeting, moderator Natalya Tretyak.