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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
12.01.2006 - 08:57am ET
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CSR News from:
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Alcoa Inc.
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News Category:
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Alcoa Foundation Calls for Global Action on Sustainability and Conservation
Alcoa Foundation Conference Marks Launch of Global Network for Collaboration on Sustainability between Industry, Governments, NGOs, Academia
(CSRwire) BRUSSELS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in
Economics, today delivers the keynote speech at the Alcoa Foundation's
Advancing Sustainability Conference, a gathering of leaders in the
sustainability and conservation movement.
The Brussels conference will mark the launch of the Alcoa Foundation
Global Conservation and Sustainability Network - a platform for future
collaboration and more informed decision making on sustainability issues
by industry, governments, and communities around the world.
In his keynote speech, Joseph Stiglitz, University Professor at Columbia
University, the widely-noted author on globalization, called for
leadership action on sustainability and climate change by the developed
world's governments.
"Our future well-being depends on taking actions now for conservation and
environmental sustainability. If we lack the leadership from the top, then
we must have leadership from below," said Professor Stiglitz.
Alain Belda, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa, Inc., highlighted the need for
concerted action and broad accountability: "To be true catalysts for
change, we must work on all fronts across all sections of society. The
Alcoa Foundation's Global Network will bring together many of the world's
best minds from academia, government, NGOs and industry to find new paths
toward sustainability. Simply put, our commitment is to work for step
change through innovation and concerted action."
The Alcoa Foundation Global Conservation & Sustainability Program is
funding research into sustainability. This Network will provide the means
to accelerate the diffusion and application of cross-disciplinary research
outcomes.
From Australia to Zambia, dozens of Alcoa Foundation fellows are currently
conducting research and tackling issues that have local impact and global
implications. The program's combination of pure and applied research and
unique interdisciplinary structure means that these researchers and
practitioners are providing responses that provide decision makers in
governments and business with usable information they can apply to meet
specific sustainability and conservation challenges.
The Alcoa Foundation's Advancing Sustainability Conference is centered
on four critical themes:
Climate Change and Energy
Conservation of Fragile Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Integrating Sustainability into Public Policy and Governance
Sustainability, Livelihoods and Economic Growth
Conference speakers include:
Alain Belda, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa, Inc.
John Elkington, Founder, SustainAbility (U.K.)
Magnus Johannesson, Secretary General of the Ministry of the
Environment of Iceland
Thomas E. Lovejoy, President of the Heinz Center in the U.S.
David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Integration Branch, UN Division
for Sustainable Development
Leena Srivastava, Executive Director of The Energy and
Resources Institute, New Delhi
Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, University
Professor at Columbia University
WHAT IS THE ALCOA FOUNDATION?
A non-profit corporation founded in 1952
The second-largest asset-based U.S. corporate foundation
Has assets of $497 million
Has given grants totaling more than $411 million since 1952
In 2005, gave out 921 individual grants totaling $22.7 million
Serves more than 30 countries worldwide
For more information, including a copy of Alain Belda's remarks at the
conference, visit http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/community/info_page/foundation.asp.
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