HONG KONG — The World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, 2002, highlighted the critical importance of financial institutions in driving the integration of a “People, Planet, Prosperity” ethic into markets at every level.

The “Financing Sustainable Development” conference will address exactly how financial institutions and capital markets can fulfill this role, becoming powerful drivers for sustainability.

The event features an international array of renowned experts and decision makers from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, Geneva), 2008 Olympics Organising Committee (Beijing), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, Paris), Ministry of the Environment (Canada), International Finance Corporation (Hong Kong) and many others.

Four sessions in the conference will address:

• Global Markets and Investment in Sustainable Development (capital markets and sustainability, new global partnerships, the role of banks, and more);
  
• Market Drivers in Mainstream Finance (investment analysis, global trade, the Equator Principles, Asian venture capital and private equity trends, and more);
  
• Innovation and Investment in China (the business case for sustainability, creating shareholder value, sustainable business models, and more);
  
• The Providers of Capital (sustainable venture capital, socially responsible investment in Asia, public-private partnerships in China, and more

Organised by the Business Environment Council (Hong Kong) with Global Knowledge Ventures (Australia/Canada), “Financing Sustainable Development” is the second of the 2003 EnviroSeries programme of Hong Kong conferences on sustainability.