Sustainable development: an evolving process
Above all, sustainable development must not be viewed as a rigid concept, but as a process that evolves in relation to situations. Implementing the sustainable development concept in a business district is not the same as in a city. In the same way, different approaches will be required in ten years' time when deploying this principle so commitments undertaken in terms of sustainable development have to be flexible.
The need for a lasting commitment
Drafting an Agreement symbolises a commitment for the long haul and appears vital as business district construction is set to increase in future. Three criteria already exist to guarantee that commitments associated with sustainable development withstand the test of time: flexibility, belief and direction. These commitments must not be perceived as hindrances to innovation or development. On the contrary, by the solutions they create, they give birth to the necessity and the intent to go even further.
Four basic principles to guarantee EPAD's sustainable commitment
We must abide by four principles to ensure that this commitment lasts and does not wane with time:
- Even if this commitment is positioned in a long-term context, short-term challenges and issues must not be overlooked to ensure that tangible results become quickly apparent.
- Business leaders must feel involved if the agreement is to be relevant.
- Commitment implementation must be controlled and accompanied by communication to make it visible in order to correct any possible errors.
- Commitments must take account of the business district's special societal and economic aspects and must be concrete, to ensure they withstand the test of time.
Download the synthesis of the round table.
Speakers
Jean-Marie CHARPENTIER
Architect, Arte Charpentier Architecte - Read more
Jean-Marie Charpentier is an architect and an urban planner. In 1969, he founded the "Arte Jean-Marie Charpentier" firm in Paris that he converted, in 1992, to a limited company specialised in architecture: "Arte charpentier et associés", of which he is the Chairman. Since 1994, Jean-Marie Charpentier has been increasingly active in developing prestigious projects in China. In fact, he has designed the Opéra in Shanghai, the central square in Pudong district and the Avenue of the Century. He is currently working on plans for the visa bureau at the future Police Headquarters. In Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, he is about to build a new city of 2.5 million inhabitants. Jean-Marie Charpentier is a member of the Academy of Architecture, Chairman of the Permanent Committee of the International Union of Architects, Vice-Chairman of the Franco-Chinese Committee of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and a member of French Architects for Export (AFEX) and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).
Stanislas CHAPRON
Board Chairman, MARSH S.A. - Read more
Stanislas Chapron was born in 1959 and, between 1987 and 1990 was the French Ministry of Defence's Permanent Representative and Joint Director of the Franco-British AWACS office at BOEING in Seattle. Between 1990 and 1993, he worked as Deputy Director for Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania with the International Relations Delegation of the General Armaments Procurement Delegation (DGA). Following a period as Official Adviser to the Ministry of Industry between 1993 and 1995, Stanislas Chapron joined FAUGERE & JUTHEAU as Director of its Specialised Risks Division.
In February 2005, he was appointed CEO of MARSH S.A and then Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of MARSH France in July 2006. He is also a member of the Group of Experts within the MARSH organisation group with responsibility for Energy, Telecommunications and Aerospace matters.
The MARSH group is the world leader in risk and insurance brokerage management consulting.
Peter GRAHAM
Coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Sustainable Building and Construction Initiative - Read more
Peter Graham is the new Coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Sustainable Building and Construction Initiative. In this role Peter works closely with the public, civil and private sectors to assist the global transition to a sustainable building and construction industry. Over the last ten years, he has developed undergraduate and post graduate environmental studies curricula for building professionals in Australia and Internationally. He specializes in assessing the life-cycle sustainability of building development. His international research includes work with the International Energy Agency, the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building Construction, the International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environments and aid work in Pacific Island Nations with AusAID. He has recently submitted his PhD which focused on sustainable design curricula in architectural education. Peter's first book "Building Ecology: First Principles for a sustainable built environment" was published in 2003 by Blackwell.
Roberto LAPERCHE
Undersecretary of International Affairs, Government of the City of Buenos Aires - Argentina - Read more
Born in 1940, Roberto Laperche held a post as Embassy Attaché with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Buenos Aires from 1964 to 1966. He was then posted as Secretary at the Argentine Embassy in France.
From 1994 to 1997, he was Minister-Counselor at the Argentine Embassy in Paris.
He was then appointed Embassy Minister with the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Buenos Aires, in 1997. From 2000 to 2004, he was Chairman of the White Helmets Commission (Humanitarian Agency of the Argentine Government), with the rank of Ambassador. He is currently Undersecretary of International Affairs in the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, with Ministerial Rank.
Eduardo DE OLIVEIRA FERNANDES
Undersecretary of International Affairs, Government of the City of Buenos Aires – Argentina - Read more
Born in 1944, Eduardo de Oliveira Fernandes trained as a mechanical engineer. Very early on in his career, he began to focus on energy and environmental related issues. After serving as an expert with the European Commission, between 1984 and 1985, he acted as the Portuguese's government's Secretary of State for the Environment before working as Secretary of State for Energy and Innovation in the Ministry of the Economy between 2001 and 2002.
In addition to working as an expert, as the chairman of scientific bodies and firms specialised in the environment, being the founder of clubs and associations and conducting research (he has contributed to twenty or so special major research projects), Eduardo de Oliveira Fernandes also lectures at internationally-renowned universities.
> 14 February 2008 - 
> Is a global commitment
