The ‘Bonn2011 Conference: The Water Energy and Food Security Nexus – Solutions for the Green Economy‘ concludes today. The conference was convened by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development as a lead up to the United Nations ‘Rio+20’ Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.
The Council of Canadians is being represented at this conference by Gabriella Zanzanaini of our sister organization, Food and Water Europe.
As noted on the conference’s website, “The international participants at this three-day conference will include around 500 high-ranking decision-makers and decision-shapers from the spheres of politics, academia, the United Nations, civil society and the private sector.” The ‘partners’ for this conference include the World Economic Forum and the World Wildlife Fund.
PHOTO: Gabriella Zanzanaini (left) and Council of Canadians water campaigner Meera Karunananthan in Brussels, July 2010.
The United Nations reported yesterday, “Among the issues being discussed at the Bonn Nexus Conference is the intersection between bioenergy production, water supplies and food security. In a news release issued by the agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that while bioenergy offers a potential source of cleaner energy, biofuel crop production must be done in such a way that it promotes rural growth, provides small farmers and rural workers with employments, and minimizes negative environmental impacts.”
Watch for a critical report from Gabriella soon on this meeting.
