Facilitating Transition towards Green Economy in post-Rio context: UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative

1

Joy KimEconomics and Trade Branch

Director, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics

2

Green Economy seeks to drive growth, jobs, environmental improvement, poverty eradication and social equity through shifting investments towards clean technologies and natural capital as well as human resources and social institutions with policy reforms supporting the shift.

ModelingEnabling Conditions

Finance

10 Key sectorsAgriculture

BuildingCities

EnergyForest

ManufacturingTourism

TransportWasteWater

4

UNEP Green Economy Report• Investing 2% of global GDP into ten

key sectors for a transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy.

Key findings• Investing in natural capital,

resource and energy efficiency can lead to:

– Higher rates of GDP growth over time and enhanced wealth

– Reduced poverty– Decent employment

Rio+20 Key Outcomes

(a) Green Economy: A mandate to coordinate and provide

information to countries, as well as toolboxes, models of

good policies, methodologies for

evaluating progress and support for emerging

platforms that contribute in this regard.

(b) Beyond GDP: Recognition of the need for broader measures of progress beyond GDP in

order to better inform policy decisions, and a request to launch a new programme of work building on

existing initiatives.

(e) 10 YFP: Adoption of a 10-Year Framework of

Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and

Production.

(d) CSR: A call to enhance Corporate Sustainability Reporting,

drawing on best practices and options for capacity building in

developing countries.

(c) SDGs: Endorsement to create a set of Sustainable Development Goals, which compliment the MDGs and support the transition to a

green economy.

6

Green Economy: Rio+20 Opportunities

‘The Future We Want’ encourages countries to implement green economy policies, but

emphasizes the need to take into account national circumstances and priorities.

recognizes that the need for support for developing countries’ implementation

Some general principles (e.g. consistency with international laws and trade rules, avoiding conditionalities, enhancing welfare etc.) that should guide the development of green economy policies.

Priority areas for policy focus, include sustainable consumption and production, resource efficiency, job creation, waste reduction, technology and innovation, natural resource management and complementary social policies,

7

Green Economy: Rio+20 Opportunities

Growing demand - Since Rio over a dozen countries have requested technical support from UNEP (incl. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Tunisia, Uganda)

Political Momentum – At the AMCEN (sept. 2012) Ministers adopted an African Partnership on Green Economy, calling on UNEP and other agencies to support its implementation.

Green Economy: Strategic Presence and Interventions

• Forging partnerships

and alliances

• Country level green economy advisory services

• Supporting regional preparatory processes

• Facilitating consensus building

Several informal

dialogues and consultations

held across the world

Engagement at AMCEN; COTED; Regional PrepComs

GGKP; UNEP-UNDP-UNDESA Joint Programme; Green Jobs Programme; PAGE

Working with over 20

countries around the

world

UNEP Green Economy Advisory Services

At present, UNEP works with over 26 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East responding to country demands for technical assistance and capacity building

10

Green Economy Advisory Services

offer policy advice, technical assistance and capacity building by fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue and consultation on green economy;

delivering comprehensive green economy assessments that identify key opportunities and options for a green economy transition at country level;

assisting countries in creating indicators and measurement frameworks;

11

Green Economy Advisory Services

identifying and facilitating policy and fiscal instruments that enable and encourage investments in high potential green sectors, while assisting the “greening” of other sectors;

supporting centres of excellence, enhancing local knowledge and building capacity;

mainstreaming green economy into national development strategies and UN Development Assistance Framework.

12

UNEP’s GEI through Partnerships: Post-Rio+20

IGG toolkit through G20 process- the African Development Bank (AfDB), OECD, World Bank and UN produced a preliminary toolkit of policy options to support inclusive green growth. It will include integration of new or better tools on energy, water, and climate change.

Evaluating Progress –1) production of guidelines for measuring national initiatives to green their economies, 2) application of the guidelines in selected countries (the following countries are being considered currently: Morocco, China, Ghana, Mexico, Barbados, Indonesia or Thailand)

13

UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative: Post-Rio+20

GGKP – Inaugurated in January 2012, GGKP is a collaborative effort between UNEP, the World Bank, the OECD and the Global Green Growth Institute, has established three initial research programmes to bridge knowledge gaps: 1) Measurement of Green Growth/Green Economy; 2) Trade and Green Growth, 3) Technological innovation for Green Growth. It has expanded its partnerships with numerous other organizations, including ILO, UNDP, AfDB, ICLEI (Local governments for sustainability) and Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN).

Green Industry Platform – UNEP together with UNIDO launched the Green Industry Platform in June 2012. It is a global public-private partnership to support participants (governments, businesses and civil society organizations) to take concrete and measurable action to advance green industry at all levels.

Accelerating and improving the transition to socially inclusive, resource efficient, low-carbon economies

14

UNEP Response: Programme of Action on Green Economy (PAGE)

Vision

Objectives

• To strengthen the capacity of Governments and other stakeholders to manage the transition to socially inclusive, resource efficient, low carbon economies

• To provide a springboard for action on commitments made at Rio+20

• To foster cooperation, pool resources, and ensure coherence between the activities of various stakeholders while drawing upon the best of their respective expertise and political leverage

15

PAGE components:

1. Develop new research addressing key policy questions on the drivers of green growth

2.Offer policy dialogues for high-level government officials to share experiences and formulate strategies

3.Provide capacity development and applied practical training on economic and fiscal policy, green jobs and sustainable management of natural resources

4.Provide country-driven advisory services consisting of policy advice, technical assistance and applied capacity development of “learning by doing” for governments

Benchmarking resource scarcities, drivers of change and opportunities for investment, wealth creation

and employment

Testing investment and policy scenarios through country-tailored

quantitative modeling

Supporting national green economy action plans and mainstreaming

Supporting sectoral programmes and policy tools for implementation

Facilitating appropriate frameworks for measuring progress and natural resource management

Mobilisation of private sector and finance

TECHNICAL, ECONOMIC AND

POLICY ASSESSMENTS

POLICY FORMULATION

FINANCE

16

POLICYIMPLEMENTATION

Multistakeholder Dialogue and Engagem

ent Process(business, workers, academ

ia, civil society, gender and youth groups)

Engagement model – Advisory services

Integration of green economy objectives in Barbados UNDAF

(April 2011)

Validation of green economy scoping study by Prime

Minister of Barbados (March 2012)

Announcement of Regional Initiative of green economy in the Caribbean region with EU

support (March 2012)

Government of Barbados, UWI, UNEP

Government of Barbados, representatives of 8 Caribbean countries

Government of Barbados, UN Country Team

Government of Barbados, UWI, UNEP

17

Launch of Government of Barbados-University of West

Indies-UNEP partnership (February 2011)

National Level Actions and Outcomes: Barbados

Supporting green economy objectives of Barbados’ National Strategic Plan (2006-2025)

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart receiving a copy of the Green Economy report from UNEP Regional Director for Latin America and theCaribbean. (A. Miller/BGIS)

18

Advisory Services: Delivering Sustainable Consumption and Production in a Green Economy

Rio+20: Green Economy in the

Context of …Rio+20: 10 YFP

UNEP Country Level Advisory Services:Policy advice, technical assistance and capacity development

PAGE SWITCH+

• Macroeconomic country studies

• Economic modeling and fiscal policy

• Green jobs

• Technology Assessments & Plans

• EE and RE Technology support (eg CTCN)

• Consumer information,

• Lifestyles• Procurement• Buildings• Tourism

Country Delivery

Country Delivery

Country Delivery

Country Delivery

19

http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/

Thank you