As the nation’s largest sustainability event, Green Festival seeks not only to bring an amazing weekend of education and fun to each city, but also to leave a lasting impact. As a prelude to this year’s events IPS’ Sustainable Energy and Economy Network is co-sponsoring a talk with the Bolivian Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Pablo Solon. Ambassador Solon, having just returned from the latest climate UN change negotiations in China, will offer a behind-the-scenes account of what the process has been and what can be expected at COP-16 in Cancun this December. He will also discuss Bolivia’s perspective and the crucial role of social movements in finding just and viable solutions to the climate change crisis.

Pablo Solon is Bolivia’s Ambassador to the United Nations. Before assuming this position he was Ambassador for issues concerning Integration and Trade. He was Secretary Pro Tempore of UNASUR [Union of South American Nations] during Bolivia’s Pro Temporary presidency (December 2006 – May 2008) and President Evo Morales’ delegate in the Strategic Reflection Committee for South American Integration (2006). He is currently the Andean spokesman for the Pillar of Cooperation in the CAN [Andean Community of Nations] – EU (European Union) negotiations.

He is an analyst and researcher on the issues of land, water, trade agreements and integration processes and has various publications on the issues. He has been a social activist that has work for several years with different social organizations, indigenous movement’s, workers unions, student associations, human rights and cultural organizations in Bolivia.

His experience in Bolivia’s foreign relations includes, besides integration and trade, issues like settlement disputes investor-State, indigenous people’s rights, migration, water and environment. He has intervened in multilateral organizations (UN, OAS and WTO), as well as in bilateral, regional, and multilateral diplomatic relations, and in various international forums.

Sponsors of this event include: Engineers without Borders Howard University, Systems and Computer Science Department Howard University, International Network on Appropriate Technology (INAT), DC Metro Science for the People, and IPS’ SEEN.