New York City, 18 September 2013 – Leaders from the private, public, and civil society sectors will convene at REDD+Talks: NYC to advance international initiatives to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). The event will focus on the vital role of the private sector in this critical global climate and sustainable development strategy.

Co-sponsored by the UN-REDD Programme, Code REDD, Wildlife Works, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, REDD+ Talks: NYC will mark the fifth anniversary of the UN-REDD Programme by bringing together REDD+ stakeholders for the private, public, and civil sectors to demonstrate the global significance and value of engaging in REDD+.

Climate change is among the most pressing challenges humankind must address. Deforestation, at 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is pumping more CO2 into our atmosphere than the entire global transportation sector. The climate impacts of deforestation alone have caused what should be our largest terrestrial carbon sink to become our second largest source of global emissions.

Restructuring the economic incentives driving deforestation is widely recognized  as critical to comprehensive climate strategies. The United Nations therefore created the REDD+ mechanism to quantify and value the carbon storage services that forests provide.  By making forests more valuable standing than felled, REDD+ provides forest communities and developing countries with a sustainable, low-carbon pathway to economic growth.

REDD+ is therefore rapidly emerging as a key strategy for public and private sector leaders in climate change mitigation and sustainable economic development. Speakers at the REDD+Talks: NYC event will discuss how and why their involvement in REDD+ has advanced the international climate agenda, global economic development, and corporate sustainability goals.  The event will also feature community leaders from in Kenya and Brazil who will describe the social benefits of REDD+.

Speakers include:

  • Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • Almir Narayamoga Suruí, Chief of the Suruí People, Brazilian Amazon
  • Denise Alves, Head of Sustainability at Natura
  • TJ DiCaprio, Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft
  • Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer & Head of International Institutional Affairs, Kering
  • Edward Norton, Actor and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador

REDD+Talks: NYC will be significant in bringing together leaders from many of the sectors that are key to the success of REDD+. Representatives from major corporations, investment institutions, forest communities and forest country governments will explore the various roles the private sector can play in REDD+ and consider the many ways that companies can help to achieve the environmental and social gains that REDD+ promises.

You learn more or request an invitation for the event here.