Sustainable Edge: Sustainability, leadership, and competitiveness in a fragmented world with Iván Duque, former President of Colombia

<p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">What does it take to lead on climate in a world shaped by distrust, geopolitics, and competing priorities? In this episode, former Colombian President Iván Duque shares how sustainability can be positioned not as a cost, but as a driver of competitiveness, and why leadership matters more than ever in turning ambition into action.</span></p><p><br></p><h3><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In this episode of Sustainable Edge</strong></h3><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Host </span><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Joachim Nahem</strong><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder at Position Green, sits down with </span><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iván Duque</strong><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, former President of Colombia, to explore what sustainability leadership looks like at the highest level of government.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">During his presidency, Duque led one of Latin America’s most ambitious climate agendas, balancing economic growth, peacebuilding, and environmental protection. Under his leadership, Colombia expanded protected areas to cover more than a third of its territory and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51 percent by 2030 .</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Today, as global cooperation weakens and political landscapes become more fragmented, the question is no longer just what needs to be done, but how to move forward in a world where trust is declining and priorities are shifting.</span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Learn about:</strong></p><ul><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Sustainability as competitiveness</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> Why climate ambition can strengthen economic positioning rather than weaken it</span></li><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Leading through uncertainty</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> What it takes to advance climate action in a world of declining trust and geopolitical fragmentation</span></li><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">The role of middle powers</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> How countries like Colombia can shape global cooperation even without the largest economies leading</span></li><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">From ambition to implementation</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> What enabled Colombia to pass climate legislation and scale environmental protection at speed</span></li><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Markets and capital flows</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> Why unlocking private finance and market mechanisms is critical for global climate progress</span></li><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Bridging polarization</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> How reframing sustainability conversations can create alignment across political and ideological divides</span></li><li><strong style="background-color: transparent;">Long term leadership</strong><span style="background-color: transparent;"> Why sustainability must be embedded into decision making as a core principle of governance and business</span></li></ul><p><br></p><h3><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Beyond politics</strong></h3><h3><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Beyond his work in policy and sustainability, Iván Duque is also known for an unexpected passion: DJing. What started as a personal interest has become a way to co