Meeting Report: Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Building Momentum at Rio and Beyond (PDF - 294.96 KB)

NEW YORK - 26 March 2012 - The Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform group and the IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) convened a side event to the ongoing Rio negotiations, Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Building Momentum at Rio and Beyond. Chaired by New Zealand, the event set out to discuss why and how fossil-fuel subsidy reform could be advanced at Rio+20 and in other fora.

The event began with a discussion of general concerns related to the economic and social impacts of subsidy reform, with speakers from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the GSI. Ambassadors from three of the Friends nations - Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Sweden - then spoke about experiences with subsidy reform in their countries. Discussion picked up on a range of issues, including the importance of identifying all subsidies, the lack of attention paid to fossil-fuel subsidies at recent G-20 Summits and the G-77's position on fossil-fuel subsidy reform in the Rio negotiating text.

Speakers:

Session moderator: Ambassador Jim McLay, New Zealand Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York

Panelists:

• Ian Parry, Technical Advisor in the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department - Fiscal Policy and Fossil Fuels - (PDF - 387.43 KB)
• Christopher Beaton, Research and Communications Officer, GSI - Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Social Impacts & Increasing Momentum at Rio+20 (PDF - 412.42 KB)
• Ambassador Tekeda Alemu, Ethiopian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York
• Ambassador Javier Dìaz Carmona, Ambassador for Climate Change and Global Environment Affairs, Costa Rica - Finance of the Payment for Environmental Services Program (PDF 584.12 KB)
• Ambassador Staffan Tillander, Ambassador for Rio+20, Sweden

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