Business vs. the environment

If you’ve been watching Al Jazeera English this week (and I’m sure you have!) you will have seen plenty of coverage from something called CITES.

Pronounced ‘sai-tees’, it’s actually the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and its 15th meeting happened right here in sunny Doha.

So that’s our focus this week. We’ll bring you the show from Doha’s beautiful Corniche (bay), overlooking the Sheraton Hotel where the conference has been taking place.

Our theme is business vs. the environment… not because they’re at war with each other, but because they’ve both got equal interests, but are perhaps at crossed-purposes and looking for a way to work together.

There’s a buzzword to use here – “sustainability” – but that’s really what it’s about. 

There are plenty of endangered species out there, which CITES is looking to put a ban on hunting or catching. 

But the hunting and catching of those species provide jobs and livelihoods for countless people all over the world.

Do we favour one over the other? Or do we find a way for the two to work together, sustainably, so the species doesn’t die out but neither does the livelihood of the people.

In the end, as with so many things, it all comes down to money. If someone is willing to pay top dollar for shark fins or blue-fin tuna, then there’s always going to be someone willing to go out and get it for them.

It’s simple supply and demand, and even with endangered species it’s hard to fight.  You’ll see that from our reports.

In Video

Paul Johns, Complinet, on Middle East banking

Elsewhere in Doha…

I gave a seminar this week at the Qatar Financial and Business Academy.

They were running a week-long programme on financial leadership and asked me to deliver a presentation and workshop on how to communicate with the media.

Thoroughly enjoyable, and hopefully helpful for those taking part.

The reason I’m telling you about this is because I was presenting to a group of regulators. 

Now I know how boring regulation sounds… but it’s kind of like that insurance story we brought you a few weeks ago – it’s something that is important and which can end up affecting a lot of us. 

After all, what was the crux of the financial crisis? – the failure of the banks. And who should have been watching the banks? – the regulators, of course! 

So have a look at the video interview on this page. It’s with a very engaging fellow called Paul Johns, who is the vice-president of Global Markets at Complinet, which deals with compliance – i.e. helping companies comply with the rules and regulations where they operate.

He was in Doha recently for a conference on Middle East banking and regulation, and explains brilliantly (and by that I mean “in plain English”!) where the world is at now with regards to regulation of the banking industry, and where the Middle East needs to pick up its game to avoid the same problems the West had. 

So lots happening in Doha this week, though with our stories we will be taking you right round the world, from Italy to Florida to the UAE. Hope you can join us for Counting the Cost on Al Jazeera.

Counting the Cost can be seen each week at the following times GMT: Friday: 1430, 2030; Saturday: 0430, 1230, 1900; Sunday: 0130, 1630; Monday: 0830; Tuesday: 0600.