MEDIA ADVISORY
ONE PLANET SUMMIT
Organized by France, in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank,
the ‘One Planet Summit’ for biodiversity on 11 January 2021 aims to advance the protection of nature
WHAT: French President Emmanuel Macron, Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, and President of the World Bank Group David Malpass, are organizing the fourth ‘One Planet Summit’ which will focus on biodiversity to mobilize commitments to protect ecosystems and make links to human health. Convened under the theme of “Let’s act together for nature!”, the Summit will bring together heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, financial institutions, companies and NGOs, all ready to demonstrate that their commitments are leading to concrete actions to preserve and restore biodiversity, and to lead systemic transformations of economies.
WHEN: Monday, 11 January 2021, starting at 2 p.m. Central European Time (8 a.m. EST).
WHO: Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, and President of the World Bank Group David Malpass will open the event. The closing segment will feature UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and President Macron.
Other speakers will include:
“On the road to Kunming” session:
- Li Kequiang, Prime Minister of People’s Republic of China (TBC)
- HRH The Prince of Wales
Session 1: “Protect marine and terrestrial areas”
- Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica
- Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy (TBC)
- HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco
- Hichem Mechichi, Prime Minister of Tunisia
- Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government of Spain
- Gilles Simeoni, President of CPMR Islands Commission
Session 2: “Promote agro-ecology”
- Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- Gilbert Houngbo, President of IFAD
- Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of Mauritania
- Karim Ait Talb, CEO of Géocoton
- Mariam Sow, Co-founder of 3AO Alliance Agro-ecology West Africa
Session 3: “Mobilize finance for biodiversity”
- Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
- Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
- Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO of Schneider Electric
Session 4: Protect tropical forests, species and human health
- Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO
- Qu Dongyu, Director-General of FAO (TBC)
- Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Marco Lambertini, President of WWF International
- Pascal Canfin, President of the European Parliament Commission on Environment
- Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
WHERE: The event will be in a hybrid format with the participation of leaders in person in Paris and via video-tele-conferencing (VTC). It will be livestreamed on webtv.un.org. More information, including registration details, are available here: https://oneplanetsummit2021.site.calypso-event.net/en/
WHY: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a dramatic reminder of the importance of nature for our daily lives and economies. Biodiversity represents the natural capital of the world, yet exploitation, pollution and climate change are bringing irreversible damage to ecosystems.
Reversing this negative trend is a major challenge for the coming decade as we need to rethink our entire relationship with nature. It is a major social and economic challenge that will require a profound transformation of value chains, business models and consumption habits, as well as concerted action at all levels and by all actors.
The One Planet Summit, in this regard, will be a milestone for the mobilization for nature in 2021.
The Summit programme will focus on biodiversity preservation: the protection of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, the promotion of agroecology, the mobilization of funding for biodiversity, and the link between deforestation, species and human health.
More information is available here: https://www.oneplanetsummit.fr/en
Event hashtag: #OnePlanetSummit
Contact for inquiries:
