Past Events
January 31-February 1, 2013
Vienna, Austria
Vienna R20 Conference with Arnold Schwarzenegger
"Implementing the Sustainable Energy Future"
R20 Founding Chair Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Industrial Development Program (UNIDO), the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST), hosted this transformational, interactive conference.
"Implementing the Sustainable Energy Future" focused on practical and inspiring sub-national bottom up actions from around the globe to build strong sustainable economies and make clean, local sources of energy available to everyone.
For more information on the Vienna R20 Conference please visit the Conference website: www.R20vienna.org.
October 11, 2012 - Copenhagen, Denmark
R20 and the Sustainia Awards
R20 Founding Chair Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the winner of the Sustainia Award in Copenhagen. With 100 nominees from 56 countries, the event showcased and celebrated outstanding sustainable solutions from around the world. Solutions that drive change and have the potential to realize a sustainable future. To select the winner of Sustainia Award 2012, Mr. Schwarzenegger was joined by distinguished thought leaders: former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, IPCC Chair Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri and EU Commissioner of Climate Action Connie Hedegaard. To read more about the Award and Sustainia please click here.
June 20, 2012 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
R20 Subnational Government Showcase: A Call to Action
At the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
In partnership with the state of Rio, Brazil the R20 co-hosted the Subnational Government Showcase which showcased sustainable practices that subnational governments from around the world have already deployed that can be replicated for the benefit of a greener economy. Discussions highlighted how regions can lead green growth in collaboration with international organizations, national governments, NGOs, academics, the private sector and financers to implement low carbon projects around the world.
Please click on the following links to read a special article on the R20 published as a special supplement to the June, 2012 edition of Regions Magazine (English version) (French version)
March 7-8, 2012 - Geneva, Switzerland:
Road to Rio Conference, Public Conference and R20 General Assembly Meeting.
To access a list of press articles on these events please click here.
Road to Rio: Building the Green Economy
The conference, hosted by the R20 and the Association of European Regions brought together regional leaders and experts from around the world to pave the way for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), to take place in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The day long conference focused on regional efforts including discussions related to implementation of low carbon projects and accessing environmental funding mechanisms for regional action. To read remarks from R20 President Michele Sabban to conference participants please click here.
Public Conference: CLIMATE & ECONOMY: New Networks, New Alliances
The Conference hosted by the University of Geneva focused on both challenges and solutions to climate change. Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of the World Meteorlogical Organization gave a presentation on the current science of climate change. Connie Hedegaard, EU Climate Change Commissioner and R20 Founding Chair Arnold Schwarzenegger, followed with the announcement of the Sustainia Award initiative - a new initiateve focused on building a sustainable world and economy. Mr. Schwarzenegger is the honnorary chair to the Sustainia Award Committee - other Committee members include Connie Hedegaard, Gro Harlem Brundtland (former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director General of WHO) and Dr. Pachauri (Chair of the IPCC).
The conference concluded with a keynote speech by Mr. Schwarzenegger who spoke about solutions to climate change and emphasized to the audience that this is his next mission stating "I won't stop until we've spread out green revolution everywhere." Please click here to view the proceedings of the University of Geneva's public conference, which includes Mr. Schwarzenegger's Keynote Speech.
R20 General Assembly Meeting (Members and Partners Only)
Annual meeting of R20 members and partners. R20 Members and Partners reviewed current workplan of the R20 including project implementation, finance, policy and communication initiatives.
To read remarks from R20 President Michele Sabban to the General Assembly please click here.
For questions or for additional information please contact: Liliane Ursache, lursache@regions20.org; Tel: +41 22 755 65 45