Country Updates

Argentina

• Utilizing PAGE assessments and learning materials, PAGE, the ILO and the Ministry of Labour have developed a joint five-week course for public employees on Just Transition and Green Jobs.

• A diploma on 'Just Transition and Green Employment from Social Dialogue' has been launched through the Institute for the World of Work of the National University of Tres de Febrero. The degree is the result of joint work that the Institute has been doing with business chambers, unions and the ILO, and takes an interdisciplinary approach to promote ecological viability, economic sustainability, social inclusion and participatory governance.

Senegal 

• Three training sessions on the ILO-developed 'Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB)' toolkit were organized in June and July, strengthening the technical, operational and management capacities of 45 female agricultural producers in the classified forest of Mbao, beekeeping unit of Sokone, and fish farming unit of Tocc-Tocc.
  
  Mauritius

• The Mauritius Budget Speech for 2021/2022 was delivered on 11 June, focusing on Recovery, Revival and Resilience. Sectors where PAGE is engaged, such as tourism, agriculture and industrial sectors were highlighted in the speech, as well as the Green Energy Industry, which aims to phase out the use of coal and to reach 60% green energy by 2030.

Indonesia

• The Rapid Assessments on Green Stimulus in the Energy and Waste Sector, completed by PAGE in close coordination with Bappenas, have resulted in concrete recommendations for green recovery which are now being advocated by PAGE and GIZ through a number of policy dialogues, with, inter alia, events held by the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society and civil society coalition Generasi Hijau (Green Generation).
• PAGE is engaging with the University of Indonesia to promote the existing IGE Modelling course for university students. This was supported by a virtual sharing of experiences of adapting and implementing the IGE course with the Universidad del Pacifico in Peru.

Argentina

• PAGE, together with the Ministry of Labour, started a six-week capacity-building course for the staff of the Ministry focusing on Just Transition policies and Green Jobs. Lessons learned from the course will also be collected to evaluate the possibility of extending it to other partner institutions in the future.

• PAGE has published the National Policy Inventory on Green Economy as well as a full Green Recovery Country Diagnostic, including labour and sector analyses, with a focus on circular economy. Both publications will be made available in English.

Uruguay

• PAGE Uruguay will be taking over coordination of the Network of Environmental and Development Referents of Departmental Governments from GIZ during the next year. The network is expected to carry out training and strengthening of municipalities on Inclusive Green Economy, supporting the design of projects and initiatives, as well as promoting meetings and spaces for dialogue on related topics.
• PAGE Uruguay is providing technical support to the design and implementation of a series of workshops 'Towards a Uruguay + Circular', focusing on waste management from a circular economy and participatory perspective. Hosted by the Ministry of Environment, the workshops are being held between 28 April and 2 June and will feed into the National Waste Plan currently under development.

Mato Grosso, Brazil

• Last Month, four online workshops were held for the public sector on the Sustainable Tourism Guidelines. Additionally, 12 companies were selected and are receiving specialized consultancy provided by the Support Service for Micro and Small Enterprises Mato Grosso (SEBRAE-MT) on how to implement the guidelines in their businesses.

Argentina: The Ministry of Labour has formally included the “promotion of Green Jobs and Just Transition” in its mission. An interministerial Social and Economic Council has also been set up by the Government with direct participation of the UN system envisioned, including PAGE acting directly as a provider of inputs for strategic policymaking. 

Barbados: PAGE participated in a radio programme on 3 March, hosted by the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, to discuss the green economy transition in Barbados and PAGE's role in this process.

South Africa: Dr. Jenitha Badul from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Ozunimi Iti (UNIDO) discussed PAGE’s recent work on the Biomaterials Market Demand Strategy in an interview with Business Day TV. 

Indonesia: A rapid assessment on the effectiveness of green stimulus in the waste sector has been completed, with results shared with the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). The policy recommendation is mainly focused on promoting the refuse derived fuel (RDF) from municipal solid waste.

Senegal: Following two virtual meetings this summer to discuss the ongoing PAGE work activities in Senegal, a reprogrammed country workplan for 2019-2020 (revised due to COVID-19) and extended post-graduation support for a new term, 2020-2021, were consulted, agreed and finalized. 
The Directorate of Environment and Classified Institutions organized a webinar for key ministries on SDG 12 in relation to the other SDGs and the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

South Africa: South Africa is one of the countries selected to model green recovery, with initial consultations have been held with government focal point. The work will contribute to the broader COVID-19 recovery efforts by the South African government and will influence the stimulus packages designed by the government post-COVID-19. 

On 26th August 2020, PAGE hosted a side event in collaboration with the digital Bio Africa Convention 2020. The title of the side event was “Developing Biomaterials Industry in South Africa” and was aimed at launching and validating two recently completed PAGE products commissioned by UNIDO. Read more.

Burkina Faso: 

PAGE is supporting the implementation of a COVID-19 socio-economic impact study carried out by the UN system in Burkina Faso, aiming to support a green and inclusive economic recovery of the country. 

Kyrgyz Republic: A radio interview was conducted with UNDP Policy Advisor Tim Scott was on how Kyrgyzstan can build a model of green economy, with a UNDP article published on the interview. 

Guatemala: The UNRC-led socio-economic impact analysis of COVID-19 is now available for Guatemala.  

Bilateral consultations between agencies and the Ministry of Finance are in progress regarding the intended outputs under the upcoming work plan and the constitution of a national steering committee. 

Guyana: After a prolonged recount of votes from the general elections in March 2020, a new Government and Cabinet has been elected on the 2nd of August. With this and the lessening of COVID-19 disruptions, PAGE activities in Guyana have restarted focusing on stocktaking and relevance to policy priorities. 

India: PAGE participated in a well-received high-level panel discussion on Climate Risk Pricing for Financial Institutions in India on August 13th. The platform was used to disseminate information about sustainable finance, under the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework of UNEP and the way forward for India in accounting for climate risk in investment decisions. 

Jiangsu Province: On 2 August 2020, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology announced that from 2016 to 2019, the energy consumption per unit of GDP in Jiangsu was reduced by 18.1%, surpassing the binding target of 17% set in the country's "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" (2016-2020). 

Under the National Policy ‘Green Development of Yangtze River Economic Zone and Yangtze Protection,’ Jiangsu has been releasing multiple policy documents and implementation plans on ecological restoration and resource management, especially regarding PAGE’s thematic focus area of Industrial Parks.  

At the national level, efforts are progressing to the ban of single-use plastics, the National Green Development Fund was announced in Shanghai and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a plan to tackle volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  

Kyrgyz Republic: UNDP, under PAGE programming, has launched an eco-competition on solid waste management in Bishkek, with solutions being sought on waste reduction, public awareness campaigns, increasing the percentage of recycling and reuse of materials, support for separate waste collection infrastructure as well as the implementation of new technologies in existing or new enterprises related to processing, sorting and production from recycled materials.  Read more here. 

Mauritius: Ongoing since March, PAGE, with the Civil Service College Mauritius, has completed the mainstreaming of inclusive green economy aspects into the strategic planning and project management trainings offered to civil servants. 300-400 civil servants will continue to be trained annually.  

Uruguay: PAGE work on the artisanal brick industry was featured in an article in UN News this month. In collaboration with the Uruguayan government, PAGE aims to make the industry less polluting, whilst preserving jobs for the many artisans who depend on it.  

Mato Grosso: Six workshops were held in the municipality of Salto do Céu and surroundings with the objective of diagnosing the municipality from the perspective of the community and municipal managers in the urban and rural areas, for the implementation of the Municipal Master Plan, an activity developed within the scope of PAGE under UNDP's lead. 

Burkina Faso: A draft support project document on Green Economy to the implementation of the National, which includes the durability plan of PAGE, was completed. 
 
India: PAGE led the half-day session on IGE and PAGE intervention in the annual event of the Green Economy Coalition.

Mauritius: Workshops were held to focus on the training of trainers, to mainstream inclusive green economy principles into recurrent course offerings on strategic planning and project management, and to train secondary school teachers on mainstreaming inclusive green economy principles into school curricula. The training of secondary school teachers may also lay the groundwork for addressing the Government National Programme 2020-2024 pillar “Education and Skills for the World of Tomorrow".

South Africa: On 13 February, the Department of Environment Forestry Fisheries hosted a Steering Committee meeting to update on the progress made in finalising the National Employment Vulnerability (NEVA) and Sector Jobs and Resilience Plans (SJRP).

Senegal: The green economy training module developed for Senegalese government officials was presented to the participants of the Green Economy Days.

Senegal: With the support of UNDP, the Directorate of Green Financing and Partnerships, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, organized a 2-day training workshop on green bonds on 19-20 November 2019. CALIA Conseil and DS Avocats provided the training, which targeted Senegalese administrations and public project leaders. The workshop provided an introduction to, both, the expected benefits from green bonds and the international mechanisms to use them.

In order to support the emergence of a healthy production system in the agricultural sector, civil society organisations, NGOs, research institutions, municipalities and farmers' organisations are jointly working on a document contributing to national policies on the agro ecological transition, based on grassroots concerns. A workshop took place on 19 November, to report on the local consultation workshops on the agro ecological transition in Senegal. The implementation of this document is an opportunity to reflect together on agroecology, while formulating recommendations that will contribute to the development of an appropriate policy that can produce, among other things, responses to recurring problems of reducing family farm productivity and food safety quality.

Indonesia: The Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is now finalizing a methodology on how to calculate greenhouse gases from Waste, Industry, Forestry, Agriculture and Energy sectors. The Directorate of Environmental Affairs BAPPENAS has included blue carbon (mangrove & seagrass) as one of focus sector in Low Carbon Development Indonesia moving forward, together with the existing focus sectors, i.e. energy, waste, industry, forestry, peat, and agriculture.

PAGE Indonesia together with BAPPENAS has provided an introductory training on system thinking and Systems Dynamics Modelling targeted at Regional Governments (Provincial Government and to some extent City/District Governments) officials and universities in Central Indonesia.  The training was held in Surabaya, East Java on 28-31 October 2019 and was attended by 222 participants from various provinces. These include, among others- from the regional government (i.e. Environment Agency, Internal Affairs Agency, Energy and Mineral Resources Agency, Regional Development Planning Agency/BAPPEDA), Secretariat of National Action Plan for GHG Emission Reduction (SEKRAN-GRK), IPB University, System Dynamics Working Group, as well as representatives from GIZ.

Burkina Faso: The Government of Burkina organised a workshop to validate the interim report of the Environmental fiscal reform study financed by Luxdev on November 11, 2019. The purpose of the workshop was (1) to appreciate the interim report of the study (diagnosis of the current situation including an inventory of environmental taxes and others measures (first phase of the study); (2) Adopt the Terms of Reference for the second phase of the study (analysis, development of the environmental fiscal reform plan and its implementation strategy). The NC recommended that the consultants participate in the upcoming training workshops on green taxation to take place on the 5-6 and 12-13 December, 2019.

Kyrgyzstan: A key policy milestone in the Kyrgyz Republic is the adoption of the Green Economy Programme 2019-2023. PAGE Kyrgyzstan supported the development of this national policy document. The Sustainable Finance Roadmap, which was developed with PAGE Kyrgyzstan support in 2018, has been integrated into this programme as a separate section.

Other policy developments include the ratification of the Paris Agreement by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and joining the Green Growth Institute. These two key policy milestones, in addition to the new GE Programme of the KR, will serve as a strong foundation for the implementation of important initiatives on GE as one of the key instruments of achieving SDGs

South Africa: PAGE has been working with UN Environment on a EU funded project on Green Economy Policy Review focusing on greening the South African Industrial Policy Action Plan.  A stakeholder workshop to validate findings of the review took place on 21 November 2019.

Training on Promoting a just transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies in Southern Africa” took place on 7-11 October 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa, with tripartite delegations from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa. It was organized by the ILO Pretoria Country Office in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) and Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) South Africa.  The objectives of the training were for participants to deepen their knowledge of the key topics green jobs, just transition and social justice with the guidance of international development experts. More specifically, participants learned about: a) ILO Guidelines for a Just Transition, b) The interlinkages between the natural environment and the world of work and how each impact the other, and c) Best practices from South Africa just transition experience in the context of South-South Cooperation.

Mongolia: On 12 November 2019, PAGE Mongolia held a seminar on Green Entrepreneurship and a Just Transition for Sustainable Investments.  Participants from the Mongolian Bankers Association discussed on the Just transition planning for sustainable investments of commercial banks and green jobs promotion for industry lending products. The event contributed to the development of risk assessment methodologies for sustainable investments.

Argentina: On November 13, PAGE Argentina, together with the Institute for Youth of the National Ministry of Social Development (INJUVE), the National Secretary for Labour Security and Safety organized a "Youth Hackaton on Green Jobs and Just Transition”. About 50 young people who are covered by employment programs took part in the discussions. The products of the hackaton where oriented at creating opportunities for green job creation and facing the challenges for youth employment.

Uruguay: Sustainable Finance: PAGE Uruguay collaborated with the BioValor Project in organizing the first workshop on Sustainable Finance in Uruguay on 9 October 2019. The results of a preliminary study carried out by the aforementioned project were presented. The study analyzed the supply and demand of financial products and the existent gaps between the existent Green Financial Products and the sectors or organizations potentially interested in them.

Education on Circular Economy: In 2019, Transforma Uruguay launched the Circular Economy Action Plan with the objective of boosting the circular economy in the framework of the country's sustainable development plan. This work plan is part of one of the prioritized actions of the Plan, which seeks to strengthen training in circular economy. The BioValor Project and the PAGE Program held a number of meetings to define axes of action to drive the transition to the circular economy in Uruguay. BioValor Project and PAGE jointly carry out the capacity-building component of the Circular Economy Action Plan. Their objective, among others, will be to create and disseminate content on the circular economy for the public.

Kazakhstan: The Green Economy Council meeting has been announced. Some of the topics that will be discussed include: 1) Green Economy Concept implementation 2) Results of the analysis of the impact of the environment on public health, including air pollution. 3) Results of the study on green growth in Kazakhstan under the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the OECD.

Burkina Faso: will complete the five-year support from PAGE at the end of 2019. A multistakeholder workshop to discuss and adopt the Sustainability Plan for Burkina Faso took place. The workshop was attended by 20 participants from the Ministry of Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change and from other line ministries. The sustainability plan received valuable feedback and inputs from the participants. The document shall be finalised and presented to stakeholders in October 2019.

Ghana: In August 2019, PAGE supported the completion of a Ghana’s metadata assessment. The Metadata provides information on climate change and green economy related indicators and is prepared to inform municipal and district assemblies in the development of their medium term development plans, measuring progress and reporting.

South Africa: PAGE organized a validation workshop on Green Economy Progress Measurement Framework. Also, an event was organized to Kick off Green Economy Modelling with focus on water and biodiversity nexus.

Mauritius: In August, PAGE Mauritius hosted a workshop to present results achieved and to identify priority sustainability areas for PAGE support in the country. UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius, Christine Umutoni, gave opening remarks and participated in some of the sessions. Other participants included representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection; the University of Mauritius, Business Mauritius, Civil Service College Mauritius and the Mauritius Institute for Training and Development. 

Argentina: PAGE’s work in Argentina was officially launched at a high policy level event. The launch included a partnership event and log frame results-based planning.

Brazil (Mato Grosso State): The State received an assessment on the potential generation and use of renewable energy in Mato Grosso as well as a survey of existing solar and biomass-based energy generation initiatives. The survey was developed by UNEP and the Federal University of Mato Grosso.

Burkina Faso: The National strategy on Green economy (NSGE) was finalised during a workshop held on the 30th and 31st of May. The final version of the NSGE is expected on the 7th of June. The National Industrial Strategy (NIS), which was supported by UNIDO and launched in December 2018, has just been adopted by the Ministry of Mining.

China (Jiangsu Province): The event "Phase 2 Report Launch and Experts Seminar on Green Transition of Industrial Parks in Jiangsu" was held in Beijing to spur discussion and action about greening industry in the province.

Indonesia: PAGE supported the development of a framework that will be used as a reference by various development partners for supporting the government in the implementation of the Low Carbon Development Initiative that has been integrated into the National Mid-Term Development Plan RPJMN 2020-2024.

South Africa: A carbon tax has been signed into law effective from 1 June 2019 to December 2022. The tax rate is $8.34 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Uruguay: PAGE Uruguay is coordinating the efforts of several government institutions to develop public policies that promote the greening of employment in traditionally “brown” productive activities. PAGE Uruguay organized, in conjunction with other agencies, the following international event: "Cleaner Production and Formalization of Brick Production Activities of Uruguay".

Uruguay: PAGE supported several following activities:, amongst them the ellaboration of a strategic environmental assessment for the forest-wood-cellulose chain; a workshop presenting the final report of the consultancy for the analysis of the available models of evaluation of macroeconomic impact of environmental policies; as well as the planning of activities for the development of a National Award on Circular Economy.

Barbados: Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation Programme is being implemented as part of the country's IMF agreement. Among Green and Blue Economy national Stakeholders, PAGE is being promoted as an enabling mechanism in support of national sustainable development efforts.

Brazil (Mato Grosso State): The recruitment of the national project coordinator is being finalized. A short list of candidates have been compiled and the interviews will take place in October 2018.

Burkina Faso: Through UNIDO, PAGE supported a study on the greening of the industrial policy in Burkina Faso. The findings of that study were integrated into the National Industrial Strategy that has been just validated 24 of September during a workshop in which UNIDO participated. Next step should be the formal adoption of the Strategy by the Government.

Guyana: PAGE has been conducting a green economy assessment that informs some of the priorities identified in the national Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

Mauritius: Consultative meeting organised by the SWITCH Africa Green Phase 2 on sustainable tourism being implemented by the Mauritius Tourism Authority, Ministry of Tourism.  The recommendations for tourism sector in studies conducted by PAGE, including the Green Economy Assessment, have been shared with the managers of the project.

Mongolia: PAGE supported the consultation of the working group to review the draft policy document in the construction sector development and integrate concepts related to green economy, sustainable development and climate change.

Peru: PAGE is in the process of finalizing the National Green Jobs Plan together with the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion. Consultations within PAGE (agencies + Ministries) on the final draft of the plan, will be held on Oct. 30th

South Africa: PAGE in partnership with DPME, O.R. Tambo Foundation, Wits School of Governance hosted a Roundtable in the OR Tambo Debate Series, with theme "Pathways for a Just Transition to a Low Carbon, Climate Resilient Environment and Society" issues discussed focused on land use, water and energy. This roundtable forms part of the National Planning Commission’s process of engagement on identifying pathways for a Just Transition. The session specifically focused on consultation with youth. The outcomes of the discussion will be included in the National Planning Commission’s paper and final declaration.

Barbados: PAGE has been reviewing and identifying the priority areas for the new Barbados Government as articulated in the new administration's Manifesto, Throne Speech and Mini-budget. Consultations are underway with key Green Economy and Blue Economy stakeholders, to identify priorities that will be input into the work plan for Barbados under PAGE

Brazil (Mato Grosso State): PAGE is preparing a contract with SEBRAE Mato Grosso to support the elaboration of guidelines for standardization and certification of Sustainable Tourism Products. The study includes mapping practices, initiatives and policies of Sustainable Tourism, defining strategies, actions and a Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism, and developing a manual and guidance for the standardization and certification of sustainable tourism products and services.

Burkina Faso: PAGE and SWITCH Africa Green closely collaborated to participate in the National Policy Dialogue scheduled 26-27 of July in Ouagadougou. The national draft strategy for green economy has been reviewed by SWITCH Africa Green national steering committee (NTCC) in view of its validation

Mauritius: The 2018-2019 national budget, entitled Pursuing our Transformative Journey, follows a decidedly green economic model. It emphasizes strategies that promote inclusiveness and environmental protection as a means for achieving economic growth. At the centre of several of these strategies are key recommendations and insights that are consistent with PAGE’s green economy analyses and assessments.

Mongolia: Development of the National Action Plan for implementation of Minamata Convention to reduce mercury use in artisanal mining. Asian Minister's Meeting-Ulaanbaatar declaration on disaster risk reduction; Amendments to the Law of Mongolia on Innovation is under discussion. Disaster resistant infrastructure and improving urban capacities to fight disaster risks by MCUD

Peru: PAGE contributed to the implementation of a training on Green Jobs Promotion in the Solid Waste Management sector from policy design to project implementation. This 6 days training was implemented by SOCIEUX+ in collaboration with PAGE.

South Africa: PAGE concluded the Green Economy E-course pilot, implemented together with North West University. Training participants were from government departments at national and provincial level, NGOs and private sector.

Uruguay: PAGE supported the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget for his presentation of the National Voluntary Report 2018 for the fulfillment of the SDGs in the HLPF in New York. 

Burkina Faso: Switch Africa Green in Burkina Faso now has a local steering committee (The National Technical Coordination Committee), which is also envisioned for PAGE implementation.

Mauritius: The Green Economy Forum, held on 9-11 May by PAGE and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, featured the launch of the  Tracking of the Public Sector Expenditure Manual and Green Economy Learning Needs Assessment.

Mongolia: PAGE is supporting the integration of SDGs into  local-level development plans, including in Orkhon Aimag. In Orkhon, a working group held meetings on 28 May - 4 June to advance policy development.

Peru: PAGE has been invited to particiate in the development of the new Climate Change Law´s regulations, launched in May by the Ministry of Environment.

Senegal: From 29-31 May 2018, Senegal held the 3rd edition of its National Conference on Sustainable Development. The conference focused on the findings of a scientific commission on oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and associated environmental and social impacts. The research notably built on a report conducted by PAGE on how to manage oil and gas revenue in order to promote sustainable development.

South Africa: On 14-15 May, PAGE and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in Pretoria held a Green Economy Training Workshop. At the workshop, PAGE introduced key knowledge products and the Green Economy Progress Measurement Framework (GEP) to participants from the Department of Environmental Affairs, DPME and Statistics SA.

Uruguay: On May 9, PAGE organized a workshop to study international markets for repurposed materials and value-added waste. The workshop was held in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining. 25 representatives from national and departmental government institutions and waste management companies participated in the workshop.

Burkina Faso: PAGE is currently undertaking a green trade and non-timber forest products study in Burkina Faso.

Ghana: A Green Finance Study is advancing. A survey on the pipeline of green projects is being administered among private and financial sector stakeholders and policymakers this month to inform the study.

Mauritius: A Green Economy Learning Assessment validation workshop took place on the 25th of April. PAGE partnered with the Civil Service College of Mauritius for conducting this study.

Peru: A national Forum for the promotion of Green Jobs took place in Lima, on the 19th of April. It was organized by PAGE, the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion (MTPE) and with the support of the European Union.

Senegal: PAGE has been asked to support a green bond initiative in the country, with work-planning set to take place over the next month.

South Africa: A Green Economy Indicators Stocktaking will take place at the Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa, on 16 May. The workshop aims to engage with relevant stakeholders, including policymakers and technical experts to identify priority green economy indicators in light of South Africa’s Development Plan (NDP), Medium-Term Strategic Framework and the SDGs, amongst other activities.

Uruguay: PAGE has started to support several policies, including on the following areas:

• Development of a Strategic Enviromental Assessment for the forestal-wood-cellulose chain within the framework of the strategic planning process;
• Identification and characterization of the productive "brown" activities with a strong link between poverty and environment.

Burkina Faso: The government has finalized the PAGE-supported National Green Economy Strategy (NGES) and will be submitting the document for Government adoption in the coming weeks.

Ghana: The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Environmental Protection Agency, with support from PAGE, held a National Dialogue on Decent Work and “Just Transition” to a Sustainable Economy and Society for all on 24 January. The event brought together government agencies, trade unions, the Ghana Employers’ Association, academia, development partners and civil society organizations.

Guyana: The Advisory Committee of the Green State Development Strategy has recently been launched, and the strategy will be developed over the coming months. PAGE is building partnerships with WWF, Conservation International, the University of Guyana and others in support of the forthcoming strategy

Kyrgyz Republic: On 1 February, the Parliament of Kyrgyz Republic adopted a decree to promote the image of Kyrgyz Republic as a country of green economy. This decree was initiated by 11 members of parliament, who have also suggested to create a parliamentary commission to further integrate green economy principles in the country.

Mauritius: PAGE is conducting a Green Economy Learning Assessment to assess the public sector learning needs on green economy. Face to face interviews with key stakeholders are currently underway.

Mongolia: The PAGE-supported Orthon Aimag Development Vision document was approved and publicly presented on 25th January 2018.

Senegal: Senegal has hosted several events during Green Economy Days from 20-21 February.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES  - FEBRUARY 2018

Mauritius: The Report on Tracking of Public Sector Environment Expenditure, aligned with SDG 13, is advancing. The Marshall Plan Against Poverty, which received earlier support from PAGE, has led to the building of a Social Register for families in poverty eligible for financial support. 

Peru: On 24 Oct, a coordination meeting was held with the Autoridad para la Reconstrucción con Cambio (ARCC), the Programme Impulsa Perú, and the Ministry of Work and Job Promotion. The main objective of the meeting was to explore resilience, green jobs and job creation in the construction sector. PAGE was represented at several external events including “the First Panel on Employment and Sustainability for the 2030 Agenda, in the framework of the SDG 8” and “NEXOS 1”, which brings together private sector initiatives, civil society and individuals for sustainability in Peru.

Mongolia: On 17-23 Oct, PAGE conducted a mission to Mongolia on end of life vehicle waste.  A study on end of live vehicle waste management is forthcoming. On 25-26 Oct, a workshop on IGE sub-national development planning was held in Orkhon Aimag, with the Mayor's office and local government representatives. The workshop enhanced participants’ knowledge of green economy and outlined Aimag’s development vision document up to 2025. The vision document will be aligned Mongolia’s Sustainable Development Vision 2030, and with SDGs 3, 4, 8, 11 and 12.

South Africa: The O.R. Tambo Debate on the Green Economy with a focus on Renewable Energy and the National Development Policy (NDP), was held on 16 Oct at the Wits School of Governance. A video of the event can be found here. Position Papers on Renewable Energy and Green Economy were drafted for High-Level Debate. The event engaged a cross-section of South Africans and institutions on the future implementation of the NDP.

Senegal: PAGE is supporting the alignment of the National Employment Policy with the National Strategy on Green Jobs. The national policy, once adopted, will support the achievement of SDG 8, by increasing green job creation. 

Burkina Faso: PAGE is supporting the development of the National Green Growth Strategy, which is aligned with the SDGs 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 17. The strategy aims to increase resilience against climate change, through the promotion of sustainable production and consumption, the development of green enterprises and decent green jobs, and through improved green economy governance. PAGE Burkina Faso is initiating a collaboration with the Ministry of Energy to develop joint training and capacity building programs for stakeholders. 

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - OCTOBER 2017

Mauritius: There is a general increase of awareness on IGE in Mauritius with several initiatives going on, mainly related to renewable energy. The SWITCH Africa Green projects are progressing and contributing to this awareness. 

On 10th August, a meeting with all government stakeholders was held to brief them on the implementation of the Tracking of Public Sector Environment Expenditure (TPSEE), which is a follow-up project from the Public Environment Expenditure Review project (PEER) that was completed in March 2016. 

Senegal: On 14th August, the national strategy on green jobs is being integrated to the national employment policy. This process is involving the ministry of employment, the ministry of environment and sustainable development, national stakeholders from civil society, government, trade unions and employer's organizations, among others. The major objective is to create more green jobs. 

South Africa:  On 10th August, a meeting Jonathan Ramayia, GIZ Green Economy and Climate Readiness Support was held, with the objective to express the interest of GIZ to support the upcoming National Green Economy Academy in South Africa.

Kyrgyz Republic: South-South Cooperation has been reinforced by the new partnership between PAGE Kyrgyz Republic and PAGE Mongolia. A concept note to ILO is submitted to seek co-funding for a South-South Cooperation between PAGE Kyrgyz Republic and Mongolia. A concept note to ILO is being submitted to seek co-funding for this new partnership. This new collaboration seeks to learn from the best practices of PAGE Mongolia and Kyrgyz Republic, mutual exchange and learning.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - AUGUST 2017