Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII-I), a new not-for-profit global foundation and the power behind the annual FII conference in Saudi Arabia, is going ahead with a second in a planned FII Institute series of virtual events.

On Thursday, “Don’t Forget Our Planet!” will bring together an influential group of decision-makers, financial leaders and innovators to outline the key elements of a global green recovery plan.

“The way out of this current recession lies in rethinking and reconnecting with the planet as individuals, as companies, and as investors. An environmentally sound and sustainable recovery plan will create jobs, upgrade infrastructure and deliver financial returns,” commented Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and chairman of the FII Institute.

This virtual conference will convene environmental and finance experts from around the world who will explore nature-based solutions, investment opportunities, and recovery plans in line with the Paris Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Keynote speakers include: Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman, Saudi minister of energy; Yasir Al-Rumayyan; Brune Poirson, secretary of state, attached to the minister of ecological and solidary transition of France; Jacques Attali, president of Positive Planet, France; Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd., India; Ms. Anousheh Ansari, CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, USA; Ms. Barbara Belvisi, founder and CEO of Interstellar Lab, France; Jay Collins, vice chairman, Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory, of Citi, USA; Dr. Jane Goodall, Ph.D, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace, United Kingdom; Ms. Marianne Haahr, executive director of the Green Digital Finance Alliance, Denmark; Dr. Mario Molina, 1995 Nobel Laureate in chemistry and president of the Mario Molina Centre, Mexico; Dr. Bertrand Piccard, chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, Switzerland; Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and chief executive of Total SA, France; and Lord Adair Turner, chairman of the Energy Transitions Commission and Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, United Kingdom.

Richard Attias, Chief Executive Officer of FII Institute said: “The current socio-economic and healthcare crises have shown us that our strength lies in cooperation and shared knowledge. This is why we have brought together some of the world’s brightest minds to develop thought-provoking, actionable propositions on how to deliver positive change on a global level.”

The conference will highlight the view that current crises are presenting humanity with a historic opportunity for change. Conference topics will include: Lessons learned on what it takes to protect nature and the environment, sustainable energy solutions and the role for public and private sector leaders in building a more sustainable world, green solutions as the way forward and ecology through the lens of profitability.

It will be livestreamed on FII-I YouTube channel and Twitter on June 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Makkah time The FII-I virtual event series is one of the many milestones on the institute’s roadmap to its flagship annual conference in Riyadh on Oct. 28-29, 2020, and beyond. The institute recently also launched its new Impact report series which curates the world’s brightest ideas that can impact humanity sustainably.