On June 20, an open lecture by Sergey Rybakov, Head of the Office of the Chairman of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Nature, was held. It was devoted to sustainable development, responsible financing and ESG-metrics.

The special guest of the event was Vladimir Uskov, Head of the Environmental Affairs Section Department of International Organizations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The meeting was moderated by Ruslan Aliyev, Director of the MGIMO Center for Sustainable Development (MCUR) and Head of the Department of International Complex Problems of Nature Management and Ecology. The lecture was also attended by Acting Dean of the School of Applied Economics and Commerce Vladimir Salamatov, Deputy Dean Julia Khudyakova, Head of the Department of Risk Management and Insurance Capitolina Tourbina, Professor of the Department of Integrated International Ecological Problems and Wildlife Management Natalia Chernykh, Associate Professor Andrey Avramenko, Professor Ekaterina Bliznetskaya, Head of Ecocommunity Aysuluu Amantasheva.

Vladimir Uskov noted that the importance of the environmental agenda in the current difficult political conditions has only increased, and it could become the key to restoring relations. Sergey Rybakov talked about how business and the financial sector have changed their attitudes towards the environment and sustainable development and why this has happened. Much attention in his lecture was paid to the issues of leadership and values in corporate management, ESG-metrics and the role of environmental specialists in the economy of the future.

The lecture was followed by a discussion among the guests and students who was at the meeting. There were questions such as whether the difficult political situation would be a justification for weakening environmental standards and environmental laws in our country, what the future of environmental insurance will be, and whether the era of limiting production and consumption will arrive. All the speakers at the meeting agreed that the world has already entered an era of fundamental transformation, and the main driver is the green agenda. Under these conditions, the further development of MGIMO training programs for environmental specialists is a strategic decision.

The lecture was held as part of the Summer School on Climate Management and Federal Academic Leadership Program Priority 2030.

Additional information is available at the following link.