• Secretary-General of the United Nations, 1997-2006
• Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, 2001
• Board of Directors, United Nations Foundation
• Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Kofi Annan´s Conference in Marbella

Kofi Annan is the VIP Guest Speaker of the 3rd World Conference on Climate Change and Wine. However, Mr. Annan will conduct a speech directed to businesses and companies about the importance of adopting sustainable practices and development. Attendance to Mr. Annan´s speech is open to business people and general public who are interested in the importance of adapting to climate change and in sustainable practices. After the speech ther will be a 30 minutes Questions & Answers session followed by an Official Gala Dinner.

Name of the speech: The Global Compact: Challenging Business to Become Leading Actors in Sustainable Development.
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Time: 06.00 PM onwards
Venue: Palacio de Congresos y Ferias de Marbella

Secretary-General Annan has been championing the importance of economic, social and environmental sustainability throughout his career at the United Nations. He is President/Founder of the Global Humanitarian Forum, an international humanitarian arena to foster dialogue and broker partnerships that strengthen the international community’s ability to effectively address current and emerging humanitarian challenges, including sustainability and the effects of global warming on people of the world, especially the poor.

A report released by the Forum in May of 2009 estimated that climate change is responsible for the deaths of 300,000 people every year, with 325 million of the poorest suffering most. All its work ultimately aims to be of benefit to the most vulnerable, particularly those living in least developed countries. In an address to the World Economic Forum in 1999, he challenged business leaders to join an international initiative - the Global Compact - that would bring companies together with UN agencies, as well as labor and civil society, to promote and respect universal environmental and social principles.

In this speech, the Secretary-General will reiterate the responsibility of businesses and individuals to address environmental challenges; undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; protect human rights; and encourage the development and transfer of environmentally-sustainable technologies.