Dirk Willem te Velde

Head of Programme, International Economic Development Group

Dr Dirk Willem te Velde is the head of the International Economic Development Group. He led the European Report on Development 2012 on Confronting scarcity: managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth launched in the run up to teh Rio+20 conference. He is currently undertaking work on the EU’s trade and investment policies and on policies and institutions to raise productivity in low income countries. He has written extensively on G20 issues, bringing developing country interests and research to the attention of the G20. Dirk Willem co-ordinated an influential study on the effects of the global financial crisis in 11 developing countries. He has advised donor agencies (e.g. DFID, Sida, and Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs), parliaments (e.g. UK, Cambodia) and multilateral bodies (World Bank, European Commission, UNCTAD, UNDESA, UNIDO, ILO, WTO LDC group) on the responses to the global financial crisis and other areas. He has written and edited several books, more than 25 journal articles and 25 book chapters related to investment, trade and growth issues. He holds a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London.

Outputs

Economic policies to seize green opportunities

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 4 July 2012

'While we argue that it is globally resource-efficient to use land intensive economic activities in land-rich African countries, such opportunities to move towards a greener global economy are not always reaped.'

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Rio+20: the UN Conference on Sustainable Development

Event - Conference - 20 - 22 June 2012

Rio +20 will focus on pivotal environmental, economic and social issues for the future. ODI work will respond to the key debates taking place at this crucial conference.

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Sustainable Development Goals: From 'silo thinking' towards an integrated approach. Insights from the European Report on Development

Event - Seminar - 19 June 2012 13:30 - 15:00 (GMT-03)

The Rio+20 Conference is leading a new agenda around Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), combining economic, social and environmental targets. Poor countries and the poorest people within them need growth and access to natural resources for human development – which will require socioeconomic targets. Increased pressures on the planet’s natural resources will require environmental targets.

The discussion on the SDGs should provide the opportunity to not only look at each resource individually, but also take account of the extensive linkages among resources such as water, energy and land (the “WEL nexus”).

The new European Report on Development (ERD) "Confronting Scarcity: Managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth" suggests an ambitious integrated approach, which would embrace this nexus, avoiding perverse solutions and stimulating innovation.

The ERD 2012 is an independent report prepared by ODI, DIE-GDI and ECDPM, and supported by the European Commission and seven EU Member States, including the UK. More information about the ERD: http://www.erd-report.eu/

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What can we expect from Rio+20?

Event - Round-table - 12 June 2012 14:30 - 16:30 (GMT+00)

The roundtable, hosted by Lord Boateng, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury and British High Commissioner to South Africa, will bring together UK stakeholders to discuss hopes and expectations ahead of the Summit, regarding sustainable development and progression toward greener economies. Dirk Willem te Velde will be speaking at the event.

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Managing the water-land-energy nexus for sustainable development

Publication - Articles and blogs - 11 June 2012

UN Chronicle Vol. XLIX No. 1 and 2

Holger Hoff, Charles Iceland, Johan Kuylenstierna and Dirk Willem te Velde

This article explores the pressures on natural resources in a land shaped by climate change and growing demand for goods and services, such as food and energy. The article argues that the priority must be to address current water, energy, and food insecurity in particular, of the world’s poorest, to provide a healthy diet, safe water, and access to modern energy for all, going beyond the Millennium Development Goals. However, this goal should not only be pursued at the household level, but also at the industrial development level to enable economic development for all countries.

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