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June 27-28, 2011  
 Maison de la Chimie - Paris  
  
 Poverty and the environment

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***Today, preserving the environment is a major component of sustainable development. Humans, because they interact with the natural environment, must evolve in order to face up to new constraints at international level. These include limited and vulnerable natural resources, loss of biodiversity, finite land that is sought for competing uses, need for new energy sources, demographic pressures - particularly in urban areas - and climate change. So, for people and the planet to survive, wouldn’t it be necessary to reflect on such an integrated approach and on the economic resources that would allow an efficient transition towards meeting the dual objective of reconciling poverty eradication and quality of the environment?***  
 

> More than 600 participants attended the international Conference to discuss innovative solutions to reconcile poverty eradication and quality of the environment.





 

 

 



2 days of interventions



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

600 participants



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

70 international experts



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 





   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/image/2016/04/pauvrete_et_environnement_image_1_0.jpg.webp?h=909f5da5&itok=xE4yb_Y3 "Image 1 (Paris 2011)")   



**A number of priority issues stand out:**

- Making the poor less vulnerable to climate-related risks;
- Improving the living conditions of the poor through the preservation of biodiversity and sustainable development of natural assets;
- ​Controlling human impact on the environment, thus contributing to improving quality of life for the poorest, and, particularly, health;
- ​The role of economic development in global and local policies that are directed to combating poverty and preserving the environment.

   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/image/2016/04/Image_3_Salah_Benacer_0.jpg.webp?h=4a0a7fad&itok=ty7SxxA_ "Image 2 (Paris 2011)")   



 **Main expectations** - To raise awareness regarding the new constraints and opportunities resulting from a combined analysis of poverty and the environment;
- To share concrete experiences in various geographical, economic and political contexts that have made reconciling poverty eradication and quality of the environment possible;
- To provide a platform for an in-depth dialogue between governments, decision-makers, scientific experts, NGOs, businesses, multilateral institutions, and representatives of civil society;
- To mobilize on, and raise awareness of, forms of cooperation between actors or geographical areas;
- To promote more extensively quality scientific research and field experience so that those who are interested in dialogue and are in search of clear guidelines can be provided with sounder factual foundations.

> *With the exceptional participation of **Wangari Maathai**, Nobel Peace Prize and **Amartya Sen**, Nobel Prize in Economics and many other high-level experts.*

[Special addresses](https://institut.veolia.org/en/special-adresses)

 

[Session 1: Poverty eradication and climate change](https://institut.veolia.org/en/1st-session-poverty-eradication-and-climate-change)

 

[Session 2: Poverty eradication and biodiversity](https://institut.veolia.org/en/session-2-poverty-eradication-and-biodiversity)

 

[Session 3: Poverty &amp; the environment in urban and peri urban areas](https://institut.veolia.org/en/session-3-poverty-eradication-and-quality-environment-urban-and-peri-urban-areas)

 

[Session 4: Poverty &amp; the environment, the role of the private sector](https://institut.veolia.org/en/session-4-poverty-eradication-and-quality-environment-what-role-private-sector)

 

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| [](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=institut+veolia+2011+pauvret%C3%A9)**Find more about our international Conference [videos](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=institut+veolia+2011+pauvret%C3%A9)** |
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  Previous          ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/carousel/public/image/2016/04/6678054861_2440db5047_z_0_0.jpg.webp?h=25fc5c87&itok=7ApK5WSV "Image 1 (Paris 2011)")   





 

###  Wangari MAATHAI, Nobel Peace Prize, Founder Green Belt Movement 

 

 



 

   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/carousel/public/image/2016/04/Amartya_Sen_Nobel_Prize_in_Economic_Sciences_Harvard_University_Conf._Paris_2011_0.jpg.webp?h=018d2c3d&itok=9vMt48ny "Amartya SEN")   





 

###  Amartya SEN, Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, Economist and professor, Harvard  
 

University

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/carousel/public/image/2016/04/6678018377_f260db1f38_z_1_0.jpg.webp?h=25fc5c87&itok=MKyzretA "PDG et Brice Lalonde")   





 

###  (From left to right): Brice LALONDE, Executive Coordinator, UN Conference Rio 2012 and 

Antoine FRÉROT, Chairman and CEO, Veolia Environnement

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/carousel/public/image/2016/04/Joan_Clos_ONU-Habitat_Conf._Paris_2011_0.jpg.webp?h=018d2c3d&itok=Gck3eL5c "Joan Clos")   





 

###  Joan CLOS, Executive Director, UN-Habitat 

 

 



 

   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/carousel/public/image/2016/04/6678044245_23b0177cb5_b_0.jpg.webp?h=f5bdb279&itok=otbO68JG "Photo du panel (Conférence Paris 2011)")   





 

###  (From left to right): SERAGELDIN (Biblioteca Alexandria), MARTHON-LEFÈVRE (IUCN), DJOGHLAF 

(Convention on Biological Diversity), and BILLÉ (IDDRI)

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/carousel/public/image/2016/04/Sheela_Patel_ShackSlum_Dwellers_International_Conf._Paris_2011_0.jpg.webp?h=018d2c3d&itok=_zRazSrp "Sheela Patel")   





 

###  Sheela PATEL, Founding Director, SPARC and Chair, Shack/Slum Dwellers International 

 

 



 

 

  Next        

 

 



#### Publications 

Find more about the **booklet** combining the **presentation** of the conference, the detailed **program**, speakers' **biographies** and all the conference **organizers and partners**.   
You can also find the **background documents** to a better understanding of the interactions between poverty eradication and the environment. The environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev and the British economist Lord Nicholas Stern have contributed to the document.  
In addition, find a **literature review** gathering studies, reports and recent works that deal with the challenge of protecting the environment in connection with poverty eradication.  
Finally, find the issue " Pauvreté et environnement : conjuguer les trajectoires " of the collection ***Savoir Commun***, developed by the Veolia Institute and the Agence Française de Développement. ### The conference publications

 

    [ Livret conférence Paris 2011  ( PDF  -  3.78 MB )  ](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/document/2016/03/Livret_conference_lutte_contre_pauvrete_environnement.pdf "Livret conférence Paris 2011") 

 

 

    [ Document de cadrage conférence Paris 2011  ( PDF  -  2.45 MB )  ](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/document/2016/03/_Background_papers_Conf_AFD-IVE_2011_Eng.pdf "Document de cadrage conférence Paris 2011") 

 

 

    [ Revue de la littérature scientifique conférence Paris 2011  ( PDF  -  1.42 MB )  ](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/document/2016/03/Ferdi_Revue-Litterature_Conf-AFD-IVE_Juin2011_64p.pdf "Revue de la littérature scientifique conférence Paris 2011") 

 

 

    [ Savoirs communs  ( PDF  -  18.99 MB )  ](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/document/2016/03/AFD-SC13-260412.pdf "Savoirs communs ") 

 

 

    [Special issue Facts Reports](https://factsreports.revues.org/1381)

 

 

 



   ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2551/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/image/2016/04/Partners_image_0.png.webp?h=eb9b6dfa&itok=4Kz5ic2p "PartnersParis 2011")