Political Roundtable Of Island Leaders On Responses To COVID-19

Professor Dr. Phoebe Koundouri holds a PhD and MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge (UK). She is Professor (Chair) of Sustainable Development (Economics and Econometrics) at the School of Economics, Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece). She is also the elected President of the European Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists https://www.eaere.org/ with more than 1200 scientific institutions as members from more than 75 different countries. Prof. Koundouri is listed in the 1% of most-cited women economists in the world, with 15 published books and more than 250 published scientific papers.

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri is also the Founder and Scientific Director of the Research Laboratory: ReSEES: Research on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability www.dept.aueb.gr/en/ReSEES at the Athens University of Economics and Business and an affiliated Professor at the ATHENA Research and Innovation Center, where she directs EIT Climate KIC Hub Greece of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology www.climate-kic.org and promotes the acceleration of climate-resilient innovations -technological and social- in the market.

She is also the co-chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Network – Greece www.unsdsn.org and the chair of the UN SDSN Global Senior Working Group for the Energy Transition “Six Transformations to Achieve the SDGs and Support for the European Green Deal”. Professor Koundouri is also chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of ICRE8 International Research Center www.icre8.eu and chair of the scientific advisory board of the European Forest Institute www.efi.int. Professor Koundouri member of the Center for Economic Policy Research RPN on Climate Change https://cepr.org/content/cepr-rpn-climate-change-researchers. In the past, Professor Koundouri has held academic positions at the University of Cambridge, University College London, the University of Reading and the London School of Economics.

She acts as an advisor to the European Commission, World Bank, EIB, EBRD, OECD, UN, NATO, WHO, numerous national and international foundations and organizations, as well as national governments in all five continents. Notably, she is currently member of the Prime-ministerial Committee for drafting the 10-year development plan for Greece, as well as in the Climate Change Committee of the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Since 1997, she has coordinated more than 75 international interdisciplinary research and demonstration projects and has attracted significant competitive research funding. Professor Koundouri and her large interdisciplinary team, have produced research and policy results that have contributed to accelerating research commercialization for the sustainability transition and shaping environmental policies worldwide. Over the last two decades, Professor Koundouri has given keynote and public lecturers all over the world and received various prizes for academic excellence.

Gavin is a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser. Having qualified in Guernsey, he worked in London for a couple of years and qualified as a barrister before returning to the island in 1995, following which he worked in the fiduciary sector.
He was a partner with international accounting firms KPMG and Deloitte and held senior positions locally at Kleinwort Benson and Barclays Wealth.

He was elected to the States of Deliberation in April 2012 and was Treasury and Resources Minister until 30th April 2016. Following his re-election to the States of Deliberation in April 2016, he was elected President of the Policy & Resources Committee, Guernsey’s Chief Minister on 4th May 2016.

Senator Percy Downe was appointed to the Senate of Canada on June 26, 2003 and lives in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He is the current Liaison of the Canadian Senators Group, Vice-President of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, and Chair of the Canada-United Arab Emirates Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Most recently, he served on the inaugural National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade as Vice Chair.
Before coming to the Senate, Senator Downe was the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien.

My vision
My overarching vision is for a fairer, more equitable Ireland, where the most vulnerable in society are given top priority in all political decision making.

 

What I stand for
I stand for access and equality of opportunity. As a mother and ecologist I want my three children to grow up in an ecologically sound country that will recognise their various abilities and be a safe and secure place to live. I want all people, whatever their ability or background, to have a reasonable expectation of a living wage and a roof over their heads.

 

My priorities
My number one priority is people and the well being of society in general. If we are thriving as individuals, the country, too, is healthier.

“Your health is your wealth” is more than a catchy adage. Human health and the health of the environment underpin our ability to survive and are a priority for me.
I want to see housing policy and property development that puts the needs of people first – a core principle in providing a decent quality of life for all.
Prioritising the protection of the natural world – air, sea, and land – whilst creating sustainable, green jobs for life.

 

My experience
I’m a mother of three, an ecologist, and an environmental education specialist. I’m a former Greenpeace activist, a former Irish surf champion, and a green entrepreneur. Having grown up in Tramore, Co. Waterford, I’ve been a lifelong nature-enthusiast and environmentalist, with a particular love of the sea. Two years ago I was honoured to be elected as a member of Seanad Éireann. Since entering the world of politics I have worked within committees and on the ground in a number of key areas with an ecological and human dimension to them, tackling environmental and social issues head-on, with passion and dedication.