Egypt bourse chief tackles green finance at UNCTAD conference tomorrow

Egyptian stock exchange chief Mohamed Omran is heading to Nairobi, Kenya to take part in the fourteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The conference takes place from 17 to 22 July, and will feature ministerial debates, high-level round tables, thematic events, a World Investment Forum, a Global Commodities Forum, a Youth Forum, and a Civil Society Forum, among other events.

Around 7,000 delegates are convening at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) at city centre where the UN agency held its fourth conference four decades ago. aligned movement then, were the main reasons for the led to the choice of the East African city as the venue.

This time the conference theme is: “From decisions to actions, moving towards an inclusive and equitable global economic environment for trade and development,” and more than US$14 billion in deals are expected to be agreed by end of the meeting, according to UNCTAD Secretary General Mukhisa Kituyi.

The World Investment Forum is viewed as key for the area. A World Leaders Summit – which just concluded, a Civil Society Forum and a Youth Forum are the other forums. A Global Commodities Forum concluded on July 17.

At the World Investment Forum, the Egyptian top official will deliver a speech at the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Executive Dialogue on Green Finance on Wednesday, July 20th. Organised by the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative, the session will address key elements of the new global agenda on green finance, and evaluate what role stock exchanges can play.

Launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in New York City in 2009, the SSE offers a unique platform for CEO’s of stock exchanges, listed companies and institutional investors, alongside high-level policy makers and regulators, to demonstrate leadership and understanding of the sustainable development opportunities and challenges facing capital markets today.

From his part, EGX chief Mohamed Omran emphasized on the importance of creating a climate suitable for alluring green investments to the Egyptian market.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations General Assembly, established in 1964 to promote trade, investment, and development in developing countries. Headquartered in Geneva, UNCTAD has 194 member States as well as numerous intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and other observers.

“UNCTAD XIV is the first major United Nations development conference since last year’s landmark adoptions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change.” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in remarks at the opening of UNCTAD 14 on Sunday.

On the agenda of UNCTAD14 are issues related to intellectual property such as trade, commodities, global investment and development. It also convenes at time when there is a growing innovation climate in Africa and increasing awareness about the issues of intellectual property rights.

The Nairobi meeting is part of the UNCTAD’s tradition in which the agency holds a conference every four years to consider trade and development challenges and agree on collective solutions.

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