Climate Change in the Overall Development Context

Brookings Global hosted a private dinner with Kemal Derviş, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, on January 31, 2008 as part of an ongoing Global Seminar Series. Mr. Derviş discussed the impact of climate change on the overall development context and elicited questions from participants following his presentation. Domenico Lombardi, Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow and President of The Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, co-chaired the seminar together with Johannes Linn, Brookings Senior Fellow and Executive Director of the Wolfensohn Center for Development.

In addition to heading the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kemal Derviş is Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programs and departments engaged in development issues. Prior to his appointment with UNDP, Mr. Derviş was a member of the Turkish Parliament representing Istanbul and Minister for Economic Affairs and the Treasury of the Republic of Turkey. Derviş also served at the World Bank where he held various positions including Division Chief for Industrial and Trade Strategy and Director for the Central Europe Department after the fall of the Berlin wall. He was also Vice-President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa Region where he was active in supporting the Middle East Peace Process. Kemal Derviş has been an active participant in various European and international networks including the Global Progressive Forum and the Progressive Governance Network., aiming to further international cooperation in making globalization a more stable and inclusive process.