Janez Potocnik, Co-Chair of the UNEP International Resource Panel, will speak in the opening plenary of the 2024 Procura+ Conference on 13 March. The plenary will highlight the key role of public procurement in the social, economic and environmental transformation of our societies. The plenary will also include Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon and Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmo, ICLEI First Vice President and Chair of the Procura+ Network.

Potocnik’s contribution will outline the challenging bigger picture the world, public authorities and cities are facing today and present the latest scientific findings from the 2024 Global Resources Outlook report. In addition he will focus on the need to make use of strategic public procurement in the context of the contemporary challenges, such as the limited availability of global resources. Finally, Potocnik will highlight the potential to make step changes for big impact through procurement to address the world’s bigger challenges.

Potocnik speaks from experience. He has been EU Commissioner for Science and Research from 2004 to 2010, and EU Commissioner for Environment from 2010 to 2014. In addition, he was Slovenia’s Minister for European Affairs between 2002 and 2004. In that role he successfully led the negotiations for the country’s entrance into the EU.

The Procura+ Conference aims to be a meeting space where public procurers will share best practices, knowledge and key insights into green, social, circular and innovation public procurement.

More information on the Procura+ Conference can be found here.

To register, click here.