In 2000, the New America Foundation conducted a pioneering series of seminars on the relations between the financial sector and environmental sustainability. The results of that series, which opened up a wide range of issues, are summarized in A Financial Architecture for Sustainable Development.

NAF maintains a deep and continuing interest in environmental issues and is undertaking a second series of discussions and papers on International Finance and the Environment, again supported by the C. S. Mott Foundation. The 2002 Series will concentrate more on how much progress is being made in moving the financial sector and decision makers to take account of the impacts of capital flows on the environment and sustainability. How much has been accomplished? What remains to be done? How can we apply the lessons of the past to accelerate change?

The opening session of this series will be held April 3 at 12:15 at the New America Foundation offices at 1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th Floor. Lunch will be provided.

Sherle Schwenninger and John D. Shilling will present an overview of the issues to be addressed in the series. They will discuss several critical areas where international financial flows have an impact on the environment, including overall financial stability, the role of mega projects and of investment programs, technical change and technology transfer, and creating new markets for environmental goods and services. They will also discuss the specific issues to be addressed in coming sessions. Part of the objectives of this workshop is to outline the upcoming program. Equally important is to get reactions from the participants about the priorities and directions proposed and whether there are other topics and approaches that should also be considered. We are looking forward to a lively discussion about these issues.