From the 4 to 6 September 2023, the World Resources Forum 23’ (WRF) took place in Geneva. Hosted by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and organized back-to-back with the UNEP Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals and Metals, WRF 23 Conference took place both at the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG) and online. The International Resource Panel was delighted to stand as a main partner of the WRF 23 Conference.  

This year, the overarching goal of the Conference was “Rethinking Value” - putting global resource use at the core of a systemic change, calling for a collaborative strategy to respond to the triple planetary crisis and deliver wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries.  

International stakeholders from policy, industry, research and civil society came together to discuss challenges and solutions across three main conference tracks: 

• Sufficiency: from a consumer to a sufficient society 

• Value Chains: from extractive to regenerative value chains 

• Digitalisation: from growth to purpose 

In a nutshell, “The WRF is the right place to be for all who care about the future of humanity”, according to the Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel, Sir Janez Potocnik.  

Learn more about the WRF 23 Conference here 

 

IRP Panelist as a Keynote Speaker at the  WRF 23 Conference 

“Value Chains: from extractive to regenerative value chains” 

Lighthouse Talk “Rethinking the resource dimension of global environmental agreements” by Panel Member Hans Bruyninckx
4 September 2023   I  5:00 PM – 6:15 PM CEST 

  • See the full recording of the event below (coming soon)

Session description:  

Through the work of the International Resource Panel (IRP), it is increasingly clear that profound changes are needed in the ways in which we use natural resources throughout their life cycle and value chain, if we want to have any chance at providing a decent quality of life for the world’s population and stay within planetary boundaries.  

Hans Bruyninckx shared insights from the recent work of the IRP, especially preliminary findings from the IRP’s upcoming flagship report - the Global Resource Outlook 2024 – to be launched at the United Nations Environment Assembly in 2024. The cutting-edge science of the IRP elucidates the current state and trends of growing global resource use, the resulting environmental impacts and the possible solutions pathways based on an innovative multi-model framework. Stakeholders can and must act immediately on the science-based recommendations for people and planet. 

Speaker: Hans Bruyninckx 

Hans Bruyninckx is a member of the International Resource Panel.  

Between 2013 and June 2023 he was the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. He completed a PhD in international environmental politics at Colorado State University in 1996.From 2010 to 2013, he was head of the policy- oriented research institute, HIVA, in Leuven, Belgium. He was head of the Political Science department at Leuven University from 2007 to 2010. 

He has conducted research in areas including environmental politics, climate change, and sustainable development. He has taught on global environmental politics and global environmental governance in relation to the European Union (EU), publishing extensively on EU environmental policies and its role as an actor in global environmental governance. 

Throughout his career Dr Bruyninckx has worked with and advised international organizations, governmental agencies, civil society and businesses. 

 

IRP Panel members participation at the WRF 23 Conference 

Plenary Panel debate “Value Chains: from extractive to regenerative value chains” 

Panel Member Paul Ekins will moderate the Plenary Panel debate. 
5 September I 4:00 – 5:30 PM CEST 
  • See the full recording of the event below (coming soon)

Session description:  

Current value chains are built as part of a globalized linear economy. While frequent shocks have been highlighting the fragility of the system, the shift of environmental and social costs to specific locations and social groups means that current value chains are not only unsustainable but also unfair.  

The transition from extractive to regenerative value chains requires rethinking how resources are sourced, used and moved, and how value is distributed.  

How can we make this major shift towards regenerative value chains, enabling fairness, resilience and sustainability? 

This was the guiding question of this WRF23 Plenary Panel debate on September 5. 

Speakers: 

Moderator:  Paul Ekins

Paul Ekins has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of London and is Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy and Director of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources at University College London. From 2004-2019 he was a Co-Director of the UK Energy Research Centre. He was a Member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution from 2002-2008. He also has extensive experience consulting for business, government and international organizations. 

From 2011-2014 he was a Member of the European Resource Efficiency Platform and Vice-Chair of the then European Environment Commissioner’s Expert Economists’ Group on resource efficiency. He was a Co-Chair of UNEP’s sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6), which was presented to the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March 2019. He has been a member of UNEP’s International Resource Panel (IRP) since 2013, and was the lead author of the IRP’s report on resource efficiency (commissioned by the G7 governments and presented in Japan in 2016), and a co-author of the report on mineral resource governance (published in 2020). He is currently leading on an IRP report on Financing the Extracting of Minerals for Sustainable Development. 

Additional panelists :   

  • Matthew Fraser, Circle Economy 

  • Murtiani Hendriwardani, IGFMining 

  • Peder Jensen, European Environment Agency 

  • Siddharth Kara, Harvard University 

 

Joint event with UNEP on “Transforming mineral and metal value chains for enhanced sustainability”  

Panel Member Paul Ekins is a panelist in the Joint Event. 
6 September 2023  I   4:30 PM – 6:00 PM CEST 

  • See the full recording of the event below (coming soon)

  • Organizers: World Resource Forum, UNEP, International Resource Panel (IRP)

  • Learn more about UNEP Intergovernmental meetings, click here   

Session description:  

WRF23 will take place back-to-back with the UNEP Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals and Metals (7-8 September, Geneva). On the last day of WRF23, this plenary session will take stock of the results of the regional consultations held earlier this year, highlight potential solutions, proposals and showcase leadership by different stakeholder groups to transform the minerals and metals value chains for enhanced environmental sustainability. 

Through presentations and a moderated panel debate, this 90-mins session will: 

  • Highlight innovative proposals, good practices and solutions to enhance environmental sustainability in mineral and metal value chains, taking stock of the regional intergovernmental consultations and the WRF’23 programme 

  • Provide a multi-stakeholder perspective through participation of stakeholders from policy, industry and civil society to discuss lessons learned and consensus on the way forward. 

Speakers:  

Opening: Ms. Elisa Tonda, Head of Resources and Markets Branch, Industry and Economy Division UNEP 

Opening Remarks by the Co-Chair, reporting on regional consultations: 

  • H.E. Ms. Saqlain Syedah, High Commissioner and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to UNEP 

Panelists: 

  • Mr. Aidan Davy, COO, International Council on Mining and Metals  

  • Ms. Inga Petersen, Executive Director, Global Battery Alliance  

  • Ms. Zenzi Awases, Association of Women in Mining in Africa  

  • Dr. Paul Ekins, IRP Panel Member  

  • Ms. Gabriela Encina Vera, Chief of Sustainable Development Division, Ministry of Mining, Chile  

  • Ms. Khadija Drame, Deputy Coordinator of Legal Affairs Unit, Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Senegal  

  • Mr. Teodorico Sandoval, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Philippines  

Speakers:  

  • Aidan Davy(Speaker)ICMM, COO 

  • H.E. Saqlain Syedah(Speaker)Government of Pakistan, High Commissioner and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Environment Programme 

  • Paul Ekins(Speaker)UCL, Professor 

  • Zenzi Awases(Speaker)AWIMA, Vice-President 

  • Inga Petersen(Speaker)Global Battery Alliance, Executive Director 

  • Sheila Aggarwal-Khan(Speaker)UN Environment Programme, Director of the Industry and Economy Division 

  • Teodorico Sandoval(Speaker)Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Chief of the Policy, Planning and International Affairs Division and OIC Assistant Director in Concurrent Capacity 

  • Khadija Drame(Speaker)Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Senegal, Deputy Coordinator of Legal Affairs Unit 

  • Felix Wertli(Speaker)Federal Office for the Environment of Switzerland, Ambassador for the Environment, Head of International Affairs Division 

 

IRP is Co-Organizing a Side event : 

Innovative Partnerships for Responsible Resource Use in Africa 

African Development Bank/International Resource Panel Loudspeaker Event (online) 
4 September  I   3:00 PM – 4:30 PM CEST 

  • Organizers: African Development Bank (AfDB), International Resource Panel (IRP) 

  • See the full recording of the event  here 

Session description:

A 90-minute moderated Panel discussion with select subject-matter Experts drawn from partner organizations. 

To contribute to discussions on improving the management and financing for the sustainable management of Africa's renewable and non-renewable natural resources, the African Development Bank and the International Resource Panel are collaborating to inspire talks on what challenges, best practices, actions, and roles international development partners can cooperate on facilitating sustainable management and investment in Africa's natural resources.  

This session shared insights from recent and upcoming work of the African Development Bank and International Resource Panel, discuss the key issues hindering economic and structural reforms and highlight specific examples of best practices, key policies and actions. 

Speakers:  

  • Vanessa Ushie, Ag. Director, African Natural Resources Management, and Investment Centre (ANRC), African Development Bank, Abidjan, Cotediviore. 

  • Speaker (TBC)

  • Merlyn Van Voore, Head of International Resource Panel Secretariat. 

  • Balakrishna Pisupati, Head of Environmental Policy Unit, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. 

  • Elias Ayuk, Director of Policy Advisory Services at CHAINT Afrique Academy and IRP Panel Member  

  • Hans Bruyninckx, Former Director of the European Environment Agency,  and IRP Panel Member  

Moderator: Innocent Onah, Chief Natural Resources Officer, African Natural Resources Management, and Investment Centre (ANRC), African Development Bank, Abidjan, Cotediviore