14 October 2021
October 14th, MGIMO hosted the plenary session of the First Russian Open International Conference on Sustainable Development and ESG Transformation “What will happen in Glasgow?” The event was held on the sidelines of the 13th Russian International Studies Association (RISA) Convention.
The President of the All-Russian Union of Insurers and Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Igor Yurgens opened the conference and moderated the plenary session.
Among the speakers at the session were leading experts in sustainable development, namely, the Director-General of the United Nations at Geneva Tatiana Valovaya, the Executive Director of the VEB.RF Business Block Dmitry Aksakov, the Director of the Federal Center for Export Development of Agricultural Products of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia (AgroExport) Dmitry Krasnov, the Chairman of the Moscow Exchange Management Board Yuri Denisov, the member of the GAZ Group Board of Directors Wolf Siegfried, the Director General of Expert RA rating agency Sergey Tishchenko, the Danone General Secretary Mathias Vichera, the WWF-Russia Climate and Energy Programme Director Alexey Kokorin, the Director for European and International Relations at the French Bureau for Biodiversity Cyril Barneriat, and the Aide to the Minister of Trade at the Eurasian Economic Commission Sergey Chernyshev.
The agenda focused on the creation of domestic green financing instruments, the relationship between the UN Sustainable Development Goals and national priorities of the countries of the world, as well as the impact of climate change on individual sectors of the Russian and world economy.
Tatiana Valovaya pointed out the need to build effective systems of economic indicators to define successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Speaking about green financing, Dmitry Aksakov presented the taxonomy of green projects developed by VEB.RF, which will be presented to the international community at the climate summit in Glasgow. “The energy transition for Russia is a unique chance to become a leader in technology for the next 50–100 years,” he emphasized.
Yuri Denisov presented Moscow Exchange projects aimed at achieving sustainable development goals, including the creation of green and social bonds, as well as a guide developed jointly with consulting companies on the implementation of ESG transformation tools in companies.
Dmitry Krasnov noted that the development of Russian agriculture and the increase in food exports today are impossible without compliance with the green agenda and the fight against climate change. The Director of Agroexport said that Russia will introduce leading emission reduction technologies in the agro-industrial complex with Russian realities and needs in mind. “We cannot mindlessly copy foreign requirements, we need an extremely balanced approach," Mr Krasnov summed up.
The conference also includes sessions on “Green Transition, or the New Phase of Trade Wars: The Roles of Green Diplomacy”, “Sustainable Development and ESG Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities for Business”, and “Science and Education in Sustainable Development”. The meetings will be attended by leading experts in sustainable development, ESG, and other prominent guests.
The first Russian Open International Conference on Sustainable Development and ESG Transformation is organized by the MGIMO Center for Sustainable Development.
