A new partnership launched today by four UN agencies
aims to support 30 countries over the next seven years in building national
green economy strategies that will generate new jobs and skills, promote clean
technologies, and reduce environmental risks and poverty.
The new Partnership for Action on Green Economy, or
PAGE, is a response to the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20), entitled The Future We Want, which recognizes
the green economy as a vehicle for sustainable development and poverty
eradication.
Governments at Rio+20 called on UN agencies to
support countries interested in accelerating their transition to an inclusive
green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty
eradication.
The four UN agencies – the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United
Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) – will provide a
comprehensive suite of green economy services that will enable countries to
transform their national economic structures to meet the growing demands and
challenges of the 21st century.
“This is yet another example of how UNEP with
partners is implementing the outcomes of Rio+20. The Partnership for Action on
Green Economy will work with countries to catalyze change at the national
level, assisting them with targeted
economic and policy instruments and training that will accelerate their green
economy transition across sectors ranging from clean energy to sustainable
agriculture,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary-General and UNEP Executive
Director.
“With the support of PAGE, developing countries in
particular can put in place the policies needed to reap the economic and
environmental benefits of an inclusive, resource-efficient, low-carbon pathway,
and avoid the risks and shocks of carbon-intensive infrastructures.”
From Barbados to Mexico and Nepal to South Africa,
many countries are already advancing green initiatives that will contribute to
a more equitable and sustainable future.
Germany, Kenya, Tanzania and the Republic of Korea,
among other states, have set out radical changes in their energy policies to
harness the power of renewables, and reinvest in their natural capital.
Lebanon and Madagascar are working to rebuild their
agro-industries, while other countries – like Peru and Senegal – are focused on
developing more capacity and green jobs.
As The Future We Want recommends, PAGE will
encourage “the implementation of green economy policies by countries that seek
to apply them for the transition towards sustainable development as a common
undertaking.”
More specifically, PAGE will build enabling conditions
in participating countries by shifting investment and policies towards the
creation of a new generation of assets, such as clean technologies, resource
efficient infrastructure, well-functioning ecosystems, green skilled labour and
good governance.
“ILO estimates that at least half of the global
workforce – or 1.5 billion people – could be affected in some way by the
transition to a green economy,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “PAGE aims to embed the right policies and
opportunities at the national level as countries move forward with their
inclusive green economy plans, and thus ensure this transition creates more and
better jobs and benefits all of society”.
“Promoting green and clean new industries, and
helping existing industries become more resource-efficient, will be a key focus
of the partnership,” said Kandeh K. Yumkella, Director General of UNIDO.
“While business and industry should be aligned with
national green economy efforts, governments need to set the parameters in order
for business to thrive.”
“Advancing green economies in the context of poverty
eradication creates unprecedented needs and opportunities for learning and
skills development,’ said Sally Fegan-Wyles, Director ad Interim of
UNITAR. “PAGE addresses this challenge,
by offering a suite of learning programmes and by strengthening capacities of
national research and training institutions to ensure sustainability.”
The four agencies have previously undertaken joint
green initiatives. However, this is the first time that all four partners have
come together to coordinate their support, expertise and resources at the
national level.
During the first two years of the partnership, PAGE
will focus on seven pilot countries, yet to be named, and scale up this support
to a total of 30 countries by 2020.
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