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Two Nobel Laureates to attend PIDF

June 14, 2014 1:34 am

Two Nobel Laureates will grace the forthcoming Second Summit of the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) in Nadi from June 18th to 20th.

Both of them were winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

International policy expert, researcher and speaker on environment, climate and island issues Dr Rolph Payet, the Minister for Environment and Energy of the Republic of Seychelles, will be speaking on “The Blue Economy Transforming Island Economies”.

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Dr Payet was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Seychelles in October 2009.

He is also the Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr James Michel, since 2007

Another winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, Professor Elisabeth Holland – the Director of the Pacific Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) will also be part of the PIDF Summit.

She has long been a leader in studies of the global nitrogen cycle and its interactions with the carbon cycle and the Earth System.

She was a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Professor Holland will co-chair the PIDF Parallel Sessions on Green Growth Enables.

President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will open the Summit on Thursday June 19th.