Trond Giske host of this year’s Ny-Ålesund Symposium

Minister of Trade and Industry, Trond Giske, is hosting the Ny-Ålesund symposium from 26 - 28 May 2011. This year's symposium has the theme "Towards a green economy: the role of technology" and will be dedicated to innovation and technological development.

-The global climate and environmental challenges are not only a threat but also an economic opportunity. At Ny-Ålesund I want to focus on the win-win situation we can achieve through developing new technology and restructuring industries to meet these challenges while creating new economic growth, says Minister Trond Giske.

Ny-Ålesund symposium is an annual event that brings together leading politicians, scientists, business people and other key decision-makers to discuss climate change and environmental issues with global implications.

- I am pleased that several key individuals have confirmed their participation at the symposium, says Giske. Among these are the head of the IPCC Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, India's Minister of Power Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren, Managing Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA), Jacqueline McGlade, CEO of Statkraft Christian Rynning-Tønnesen and the company's board chairman Svein Aaser.

- With a historic coal mining town and Svalbard’s fantastic scenery as a backdrop, Ny Ålesund symposium has proven to be an interesting and unique forum for discussions on global climate and environmental challenges, says Giske.

Facts:
Ny-Ålesund is a former mining town at 79 ˚ N on the west coast of Spitsbergen, and is today an international Arctic research community. The city is managed by the Kings Bay AS, which is wholly owned by the government through the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Ny-Ålesund is the annual venue for the three-day symposium, which has been held since 2006. The symposium is organized by Kings Bay in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Justice and the Police, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Research Council. Statkraft is a sponsor of the symposium. The number of participants at the symposium is limited to 40.

For more information about the symposium: http://www.ny-aalesundsymposium.no

Contact for media:
Senior adviser Kjell Brataas
Ph.: +47 22 24 01 28 | Cell: + 47 45 29 97 12 | E-post: kjb@nhd.dep.no