Country Updates

COUNTRY UPDATES ON POLICY BRIEFINGS, STRATEGY ADOPTION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

Country Updates (November 2020)

Guyana: Through PAGE, UNITAR and UNEP are working with the University of Guyana offering a green trade and industry training from 3-5 November. The training notably targets senior staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and the private sector, among other stakeholders.

Barbados: Through the Throne Speech, Barbados has reconfirmed its commitment to Greening of the Economy, and to greening across sectors, including tourism and Agriculture. Notably, under the heading of The Green and Blue Economy, the Government has recognised and articulated: "The threat of climate change and the fragility of our ecosystems as an island, require us to move to a nature-based solutions and long term green growth and development strategy.” PAGE collaborated on the Ministry of Environments’ contribution and submission to the Speech.

Country Updates (December 2020)

Senegal : PAGE Senegal presented its experience on climate change with other West African countries in a webinar organized by UNITAR on 13 October as part of a sub-regional exchange initiative using the UN: CC Learn platform.

Mauritius : The ILO and its national partner, the University of Mauritius, presented initial findings from recent modeling on green jobs, conducted with PAGE's support, at a webinar on the Macroeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 in Mauritius on 29 October. The webinar was part of a series are hosted by the UN Resident Coordinator Office, the World Bank, Trade Economics and the University of Mauritius, centered around the theme of COVID-19 economic recovery.

Mongolia : PAGE participated in a UN Workshop on Social, Economic and Environmental Impact of Shocks Induced by COVID-19 in Mongolia on 20 November, co-hosted by the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Mongolia in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP).

Kazakhstan : Supporting the Low Carbon Development Concept 2050 of Kazakhstan, PAGE has contributed to development of a policy vision and model for the waste sector, which was presented within technical consultations on 12 and 13 November with more than 60 representatives of governmental bodies, international organizations and NGOs.

India : The first official National Steering Committee Meeting was held on 17 November and approved the 2020-2021 Work Plan, concluding the country's inception phase with PAGE. The stocktaking study provided considerable input into the NSC Meeting and will guide country programming moving forward.

Argentina : PAGE Argentina's National Coordinator presented in a workshop to the federal offices of the Ministry of Labor on the linkages between the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO, Agenda 2030 and Just Transition and Green Recovery, and in a capacity building course on Circular Economy, Just Transition and Green Jobs on November 19th, co-organized by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Workers Union Initiative against Climate Change.

Country Updates (October 2020)

Argentina: Together with Global Compact, PAGE hosted a webinar on 9 September for 190 enterprises on circular economy, presenting the recently launched Global Compacts Circular Economy Strategy and its contribution to progress towards the SDGs in Argentina.

PAGE is also supporting the Global Compact Contest for Enterprises on Circular Economy Projects , calling on companies to present business cases that constitute good practices in the integration of the circular economy into their respective operations and supply chains.

Mato Grosso, Brazil: The Government of Mato Grosso officially launched the PAGE-supported Assessment of Economic and Technical Potential of Use and Generation of Renewable Energy and the Strategic Plan for the Development of Renewable Energy On 30 September, which fed the development of the Strategic Plan for the Development of Renewable Energy in Mato Grosso, a long-term strategy for the promotion of new business models and energy technologies.

Kazakhstan: PAGE is supporting work on Kazakhstan's national waste policy development - through modeling scenarios in the waste sector, part of its assistance in the development of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy until 2050. This work has been recently been recognized within an article on plastic pollution and recycling in Kazakhstan.

India: UNEP published an article highlighting PAGE's contribution to Indian Railway's efforts to improve energy efficiency and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030 through a capacity building program for its management and staff on sustainability and green economy.

Senegal: Supported by UNEP outside of PAGE, the Directorate of Environment and Classified Establishments organized a two-day training workshop on 27-28 August, featuring presentations from PAGE Senegal National Coordinator Seynabou Diouf on green economy and case studies from Senegal, as well as a presentation of the PAGE programme in relation to the National Policy on Green Economy.

Country Updates (September 2020)

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.

Country Updates (August 2020)

South Africa: On 1-2 July, the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries jointly organized with PAGE a training workshop on “Climate Smart Agriculture and Trade Opportunities,” aiming to build the capacities of relevant stakeholders to support and enable export growth of sustainably farmed products.

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: PAGE work in Guatemala has increased momentum this month, with the onboarding of a National Coordinator and initiation of bilateral consultations with the lead ministry regarding potential workstreams and policy interventions on environmental fiscal strategy and economic recovery measures.

Jiangsu Province: Outside of PAGE, developments on green economy in Jiangsu province have been mentioned in the media including on the publication of four provincial policy documents on green finance as well as the launch of the 2019 Jiangsu Low Carbon Development Report.

Mauritius: SCORE training of trainers on competitiveness and resource efficiency for MSMEs was completed, with trainers certified in a virtual ceremony.
The Mauritius Commercial Bank issued its ‘Occasional Paper’ on the country’s transition to a green economy, referencing PAGE’s work on GE assessment, fiscal scoping analysis, Marshall Plan on Poverty and Tracking Public Sector Environmental Expenditures.

Argentina: The ITCILO course on “Green Jobs for Sustainable Development” was completed, with an ILO article published highlighting the testimonies of outstanding participants.

India: On the 6th of July,  PAGE India, Climate Policy Initiative, and Development Alternatives as the Green Economy Coalition India Hub hosted a webinar on “Building Back Better: Greening the Economic Recovery Package of the Government of India” which brought together eminent speakers to discuss the ways in which the Economic Package released by the Government of India can be made greener and more inclusive.

Brazil, Mato Grosso: PAGE Mato Grosso Partners had the opportunity to attend the course “Integrating the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals” organized by UNDP together with Petrobrás, contributing to the strengthening of capacities and the promotion of citizen training by offering essential knowledge about the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.

In collaboration with the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), PAGE completed the Green Economy Learning Assessment. The report provides an analysis of the State’s skills and knowledge needs to foster the green transition in four priority sectors. It concludes with seven recommendations for action to build the capacities of tomorrow together with local institutions active in education and training. The report is available in Portuguese and can be accessed here.

Indonesia: PAGE has completed the development of generic/macro system dynamics model for all provinces in Indonesia which will be used to review the current regional/provincial medium-term development plan (RPJMD), to formulate the regional/provincial low carbon development plan (RPRKD) and to mainstream LCDI approach for development planning at the sub-national level.

Kazakhstan: In the policy vision for the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2050 of Kazakhstan, work on the waste sector has been completed and will include a waste model to track flows and analyse outcomes of several intervention options on GHG emissions, employment creation and economic activity.

Country Updates (April 2020)

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.

Country Updates (January 2020)

Burkina Faso: Capacity building on environmental fiscal reforms was organised in December in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. The training built on the study on environmental fiscal reform carried out by PAGE in 2017, which is being reviewed and updated with funding from LuxDev this year.

Mauritius: AGE supported capacity building of trainers and enterprises on clean production and responsible practices, with a focus on SMEs. This training was in collaboration with the National Clean Production Centre.

Guyana: PAGE, through ILO, contributed to capacity of Guyana Bureau of Statistics and the University of Guyana on social accounting matrixes, which can be used for the green jobs assessment model (GJAM). The training was hands-on and focused on data collection, and the need for the GJAM model across environmental and social sectors.

At the COP25 conference in Madrid, the Government of Guyana urged the international community to support countries in their quest to pursue low carbon developments and reduce carbon emissions. The example was cited by the Green State Development Strategy, tying in with Guyana's 20 year national development plans, which focuses on green economies and low carbon trajectories.

Uruguay: To advance circular economies, the PAGE Uruguay Programme —under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining — organised a series of capacity building events in several cities across Uruguay.

The National Coordinator of PAGE Uruguay presented new programme activities in the Municipality of Montevideo. The programme is related to the recovery of materials at the Environmental Expo held in December.

Indonesia: PAGE and the Government of Indonesia, through the Ministry of National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), released the “Preliminary Draft of the National Medium-term Development Plan 2020-2024”

Country Updates (November 2019)

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.

Country Updates (October 2019)

China: will establish an international forum on green development that will enable exchange of international experiences in green economy, green growth, and green development, including but not limited to PAGE countries. The forum will not require continued PAGE funding, it will be hosted by the municipal government of Chengdu and led by the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE) under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. UNIDO and ILO are jointly organizing a workshop, to happen prior to the event, on Eco-Industrial Parks and green jobs in industrial parks in Suzhou, Jiangsu. Additionally, an expert consultation on Green Economy Progress measurement framework will take place in Nanjing, Jiangsu back to back with the joint workshop. All the findings from these activities will be presented on the international forum on green development. PAGE counterpart, the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE) under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will lead the forum.

Burkina Faso: A training on sustainable trade took place on 24 - 25 October 2019. Over seventy persons coming from Non-timber forest products (NTFP) operators, NGOs, sector ministries dealing with trade, industry and research, attended the training. The participants put in place a monitoring committee of ten persons to follow-up on the priority activities: sustaining the production of NTFPs, Certification of NTFP enterprises, Marketing and communication, resources mobilization to finance the action plan to develop the access of NTFP to markets.

Indonesia: On 22 October 2019, PAGE Indonesia, led by UNIDO, carried out a validation workshop of the Green Industry and Trade Assessment (GITA) that was recently developed. The assessment focused on assessing resource efficiency, energy intensity and other IGE relevant indicators in three industry sectors: pulp & paper, cement and food & beverage. The validation workshop was held together with Bappenas and other line ministries, such as Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and several industrial associations.

South Africa: The International Labour Organization (ILO) Pretoria Country Office in collaboration with PAGE South Africa and the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) organised a Just Transition training for ILO constituents (Government, Organised Business and Organised Labour and Civil Society) in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa. The event took place on 7-11 October 2019 and is the first ever “localised” version of the ITC-ILO Just Transition training course, specifically tailored to the challenges and opportunities in Southern Africa. The objective of the training was to, through training, peer-to-peer learning and cross-fertilisation in Southern Africa in the context of South to South cooperation, support the promotion and implementation of the Guidelines for a Just Transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. A total of 55 participants attended the training and selection was based on fair country and gender representation.

PAGE together with the South African Government through Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) as well as Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), hosted a Validation workshop on the Green Economy Indicator Measurement Framework. The workshop is a culmination of work that started in January 2019 led by UN Environment under PAGE. The GEP Index captures the multi-dimensions of an Inclusive Green Economy. It measures accumulation of capital--be it natural, low carbon and resource efficient, human, or social--which serves as input for producing goods and services in an environmentally friendly manner.

Uruguay: PAGE Uruguay is continuously collaborating with two high-level national plans. The Development Strategy Uruguay 2050 and the National Circular Economy Action Plan. "Contributions to a 2050 Development Strategy” is led by the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP). It proposes paths for sustainable development. The National Circular Economy Action Plan was also presented during the last month. The plan seeks to design policies to achieve sustainable development. The National Plan of Action of Circular Economy was developed in the framework of the National Plan for Productive Transformation and Competitiveness. The new plan identifies actions that seek to generate systematic information for the design of public policies in the key to circular economy, promote research and innovation, identify early actions and implement them, promote knowledge of business models based on circular economy and encourage practices and processes based on the principles of circular economy in different social actors.

PAGE is collaborating with two high-level national plans, a) the Development Strategy Uruguay 2050 and b) the National Circular Economy Action Plan. Development Strategy Uruguay 2050 proposes paths for sustainable development based on the articulation of more than 20 prospective studies carried out over the last four years. The National Plan of Action of Circular Economy was prepared within the framework of the National Plan for Productive Transformation and Competitiveness. The plan identifies actions that seek to generate systematic information for the design of public policies in the key to circular economy, promote research and innovation, identify early actions and implement them, promote knowledge of business models based on circular economy and encourage practices and processes based on the principles of circular economy in different social actors.

Country Updates (September 2019)

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.

Country Updates (June/July 2019)

Burkina Faso: The National Strategy on Green Economy was officially adopted in July, marking a major milestone in the country’s inclusive green economy transition. PAGE supported the government in the development of this Strategy from its earliest stages. PAGE also held its first Sustainability Workshop in Burkina Faso to discuss the country’s sustainability plan.

South Africa: The South African Green Economy Indicator Measurement (GEP) Framework was validated in a workshop in July held by PAGE and the South African Government. The event was a culmination of work that began in January 2019 and represents the second time this kind of measurement tool is being applied in a PAGE country.

Peru: PAGE contributed to the development of the chapter on environmental sustainability and green growth for Peru’s National Productivity and Competitiveness Plan. The Plan has now been passed to the Ministry of Environment for final edits, and formal approval of the Plan is expected soon.

India: A subnational stocktaking consultation was held in the state of Goa in July. The consultation was attended by sectoral experts, government, academia, practitioners and PAGE agencies.

Brazil (Mato Grosso State): The PAGE National Coordinator took part in the 2019 Americas Regional Ministerial Conference on Green Economy in June in Fortaleza, Brazil. The high-level Green Economy forum raised regional awareness by showcasing and scaling up the impact of evidence-based green economy solutions in addressing sustainable development challenges.

Guyana: In June, PAGE held a joint brainstorming session with key government agencies to discuss the scope of an upcoming PAGE-supported study on the agro-processing industry in Guyana. Attending agencies included the Ministries of Agriculture, Business, and Public Infrastructure, as well as representatives from FAO.

Uruguay: The inaugural winners of the Uruguay Circular Economy Award were announced and honored at a ceremony in June. The award recognizes initiatives and projects that contribute most to the country’s transition towards a circular economy. It is the first award of its kind in the Latin-America and Caribbean region.

Argentina: PAGE Argentina participated in the International Integrated Waste Management Symposium of the Province of San Juan. The National Coordinator served as the keynote speaker, delivering the message that the transition to sustainable and circular economy schemes must bear in mind social dialogue as a means to leave no one behind.

Country updates (May 2019)

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".

Country Updates (April 2019)

Argentina: Participative Planning Workshop to identify key outcomes for a Inclusive Green Economy Strategy in Argentina was organised

Brazil Mato Grosso: PAGE Steering Committe decided that the municipality where a pilot project of the Participative Municipal Development Master Plans will be executed will be in the region of the Spring Pantanal Complex.

China: PAGE and its partner, the Policy Research Center of Environment and Economy (PRCEE) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), organized an international seminar on Green Industrial Parks to exemplify good practices and lessons learnt from Jiangsu province. The event featured the official launch of two PAGE reports - Green Transformation of Industrial Parks in China’s Jiangsu Province: A Synthesis Report and Measuring the Green Industry Progress of 18 Provinces in China - offering respectively a micro and macro perspective on the role of green policy instruments in China’s economic transition and the green transformation of industrial parks in China.

Kyrgyz Republic: President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbai Zheenbekov signed a Decree “On the Foreign Policy Concept of the Kyrgyz Republic” and an updated Foreign Policy Concept was approved in order to ensure efficiency of foreign policy activities. An updated Concept prioritizes Green Economy development, climate change mitigation and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Indonesia: PAGE is supporting the Ministry of National Development Planning in developing a framework for the implementation of the Government's Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI), which will be incorporated into the National Mid-Term Development Plan RPJMN 2020-2024.

Uruguay: PAGE Uruguay launched “Uruguay Circular Award” the first national award for initiatives and projects that are contributing to the country’s transition towards a circular economy. The award will offer visibility and recognition to companies, entrepreneurs, communities and educational institutions whose processes, products or services advance circular economy principles and methods: reduce, reuse, repair and recycle.

Country updates (March 2019)

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.

Country Updates (February 2019)

Burkina Faso: On 22 June, PAGE held a validation workshop for the Green Economy Learning Assessment. The study was developed in partnership with the Center for Social and Economic Development (CEDRES). 60 participants participated in the workshop, including from the Ministries of Education, Trade, Agriculture, Tourism, and Culture, among others. CEDRES developed a short article and video on the workshop, available here (also promoted through the Ministry of Environment’s website).

Kyrgyz Republic: PAGE has developed a final draft of the Green Economy Learning Needs Assessment for Kyrgyz Republic, in partnership with the American University of Central Asia. The report is available in Russian and features an executive summary in English. The recommendations of the report will be taken up through PAGE capacity building activities.

Mauritius: The Government of Mauritius launched its annual budget speech on 14 June 2018 for the 2018/2019 period. The budget includes new fiscal incentives for organic agriculture. Agriculture was one of the six focus sectors of the earlier PAGE Green Economy Assessment, in which supporting organic practices was one of the suggested actions.

Uruguay: PAGE is developing scenario analyses for value chains prioritized by the National Development Strategy Uruguay 2050, starting with the forest-wood-cellulose. For this value chain, PAGE has begun work on economic modeling, and on analyses of aspects of climate change to be incorporated in the scenarios for the National Development Strategy Uruguay 2050.

South Africa: PAGE engaged with green economy stakeholders at various events and Conferences in South Africa. During the EU Climate Diplomacy Week, PAGE participated in a panel discussion on strategic partnerships in South Africa. Three PAGE products (the Green Economy Investory, Trade and Industry Assessment, and Learning Needs Assessment) were presented to participants in an EU stand at a side event organised during the Adaptation Futures Conference. PAGE also participated in the 5th International Climate Change Adaptation Conference in Cape Town, on the 18-22 June.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - FEBRUARY 2018

Country Updates (October 2018)

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.

Country Updates (September 2018)

Burkina Faso: The National Coordinator partcipated in the National Policy Dialogue organised by Switch Africa Green 26-27 July 2018 in Ouagadougou. During this dialogue, the National Strategy for Green Economy was validated by the one hundred participants. Next step should be formal adoption of the strategy by the Ministry of Environment, Green economy and Climate change.

Mauritius: The Green Economy Learning Assessment has been finalised by the Civil Service College, Mauritius.

Peru: A workshop on Integrated Green Economy Modelling framework and tools was held in Lima on August 1st - 3rd. This workshop was organized together with UN Environment and the Universidad del Pacífico (to whom the T21 Model will be transferred in Peru), with the active participation of the Ministry of Production, Ministry of Environment, National Strategic Planning Center, National Statistics and Information Institute, Ministry of Transports and Comunications.

South Africa : Validation workshop on Bio composite Action Plan and Implementation Strategy took place.

Country Updates (August 2018)

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.

Country Updates (July 2018)

Ghana: On 28 June, PAGE and the Ministry of Environment (MESTI) held a media training to inform journalists on topics of climate change and green economy. The objective of the event was to help create more awareness on environmental, social and economic issues affecting development in the country.

Peru: La Universidad del Pacífico and PAGE in collaboration with the Ministry of Production will be holding a training on the application of the Integrated Green Economy Modelling Tool in Peru on 1-3 August 2018.

South Africa : PAGE held a consultation meeting with the National Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Environmental Affairs to explore a study on resource efficiency and potential of smart grid application in Special Economic Zones and industrial parks.

Country Updates (June 2018)

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.

Country Updates (May 2018)

COUNTRY UPDATES (APRIL 2018)

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.

COUNTRY UPDATES (DECEMBER 2017)

Burkina Faso: From 27-30 Nov, PAGE conducted a training of traininers on entrepreneurship with the participation of 7 trainers from Burkina Faso (2 from the Ministry of Environment and 5 from the private sector), held in Senegal.

Mauritius: On 27-30 Nov, PACEV (national green jobs programme) and PAGE conducted a training of traininers on entrepreneurship. 26 participants took part in the training. . All reported having enhanced their capacity in IGE related issues through the training.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - DECEMBER 2017

COUNTRY UPDATES (FEBRUARY 2018)

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

COUNTRY UPDATES (NOVEMBER 2017)

Peru: The Second Regional Green Industry Forum took place in the city of Trujillo on 14 November. PAGE held a bilateral meeting with the Ministry of Environment on 17 November on the PAGE Peru 2018 planning process. PAGE participated in two external events: Ashoka´s Social Changemaker Day in Lima, on 14 November, with Peru 2021 (private sector and social entrepreneurs), and at the High-level regional forum on the implementation of Convention No.169 on indigenous and tribal peoples, on 23-24 November.

South Africa: On 21– 22 November, PAGE held a workshop on Scaling Sustainable Trade through South African Value Chains: Organic and Biodiversity-based Agricultural Products Green Economy Industry and Trade. 28 participants took part into the workshop, 15 males and 13 females. This workshop is aligned with SDGs 12 and 15 by identifying opportunities for organic agriculture and biodiversity-based products for trade and addressed sustainable production systems. On 28 November, a scoping workshop was held to assess opportunities for proposing a new PAGE workstream on green economy modelling. 20 participants attended the workshop.

Senegal: On 27-30 November, PACEV (national green jobs programme) and PAGE conducted a training of traininers on entrepreneurship. 26 participants took part in the training, 18 male and 8 female partcipants, including 7 participants from Burkina Faso. All reported having enhanced their capacity in IGE related issues through the training. 5 officials from Senegal participated in the training program on ‘Opportunities for green jobs in the waste sector’ at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy.

Burkina Faso: PAGE and GGGI are collaborating on the integration of green growth concepts into the National Green Economy Strategy. From 27-30 November, PAGE conducted a training of traininers on entrepreneurship with the participation of 7 trainers from Burkina Faso (2 from the Ministry of Environment and 5 from the private sector), held in Senegal.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - NOVEMBER 2017

COUNTRY UPDATES (OCTOBER 2017):

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

COUNTRY UPDATES (September 2017):

Mauritius: The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is working on a project of tracking public environment expenditure, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action). The expected outcome would be a more efficient use of government funds for climate mitigation and adaptation. The Tracking of Public Environment Expenditure project is planning to train finance officers in the coming weeks.

Brazil: On August 30th-31st, a meeting with PAGE partners in Mato Grosso took place to close the Logframe and the Workplan for mid-2017 – mid-2018 and expectations for implementing the PAGE Mato Grosso programme. The International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, the Management Committee and the coordinators of thematic areas of Mato Grosso were involved and about 30 participants assisted.

Peru: In September 2017, an executive summary of the PAGE report Peru Green Growth. Quantitative assessment of green policies in selected sectors of the economy has been published, with the involvement of the Ministry of Environment. The report is based off the results of PAGE's T-21 modelling tool, and will be presented by the Minister of Environment to Congress and Ministers. A broader dissemination strategy has been drafted by PAGE team in order to reach other targeted audiences (private sectors, workers organizations, civil society, academy, international community, donors community).

Mongolia: On 18th-22nd September, the PAGE Steering Committee Meeting and Sustainability week took place, which included the Mongolian Sustainable Finance Forum, a Green Economy and trade workshop, a Mongolian universities for sustainable development workshop, PAGE Donor Steering Committees meetings, and a Green Economy and sustainable development training for Orkhon and Dornogovi aimag government officials in August 2017. The Mongolian bankers association, PAGE Technical committee, Ministry of Environment and Turism, National Development Agency, Ministry of education, science, culture and sports, Orkhon and Dornog aimags governors' offices were involved alongside the different events in the Sustainability week, aiming to establish a Mongolian green credit fund, harness green trade opportunities for Mongolia, build alliance of national universities for sustainability, and develop Orkhon and Dornogovi aimags' development policies up to 2025. The PAGE Steering Committee Meeting and Sustainability week was also an opportunity for Mongolia to meet with delegates from Norway, Finland and South Korea to discuss the PAGE outputs in Mongolia and sustainability beyond 2017.

South Africa: On September 6th- 8th in Zambia, it was presented a summary of the South Africa Green Economy Industry and Trade Analysis (SA-GEITA) reportSouth Africa Green Economy Industry and Trade Assessment – Summary developed and shared at the “Africa Forum on Private Sector Inclusive Green Growth and Decent Green Job Creation”. Zambia Green Jobs Programme, the Government of Zambia and the Government of Finland, in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the ILO and the ILO Green Jobs Programme, have been involved in the elaboration of the summary. PAGE South Africa participated in knowledge sharing sessions featuring Green Industry and Trade.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - SEPTEMBER 2017

Country Updates (August 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

Country Updates (July 2017):

Mongolia: In August, PAGE will launch a Green Economy in Action photography contest in Mongolia, to collect and exhibit inspirational photos on green lifestyles, green businesses and green jobs in the country. This campaign aims to mobilize ordinary citizens of Mongolia to take interest in the Green Economy movement and to demonstrate the role of art and culture in mainstreaming inclusive green economy.

Burkina Faso: UN Environment is communicating with the Ministry of Environment to implement a green economy modelling (T21) training in Burkina. UN Environment shared a concept note on the activity as part of the framework of PAGE.

Ghana: A manual for Mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributeds into Metropolitan, Municipal and District development plans is being refined and it is envisaged to be developed by end August, with the involvement of Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Development Planning Commission, Regional Coordinating Councils and Ghana Statistical Services. Development plans will help to reflect how the Sustainable Development Goals and Ghana's Nationally Determined Contributions at the local levels contribute to Ghana’s transition towards an Inclusive and Green Economy.

Mauritius: A strategic report on Green Business Opportunities has been finalized in partnership with Switch Africa Green, and is ready for dissemination. This report will help to support green business development in Mauritius and other Switch Africa Green countries.

Peru: Following the PAGE workshop on the Integrated Green Economy Modelling (IGEM), bilateral meetings have been held with the Ministry of Environment, the National Centre for Strategic Planning and the National Institute of Statistics to begin the process of integrating IGEM into their modelling processes.

Senegal: PAGE is collaborating with the Directorate of Employment to integrate the national strategy on green jobs into the new national employment policy.

South Africa: The Green Economy Inventory for South Africa report has been published, with inputs from UN Environment, the International Labour Organization and the Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa. The Report can support green economy planning and investment processes.

The South African Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa, Edna Molewa, participated in PAGE Side Event at the High-Level Political Forum which took place on 17th July 2017 in New York.

China: In August-September 2017, a first draft report on measuring the green economy progress (using the UN Environment Green Economy Progress (GEP) framework) in Jiangsu province will be finalized with the involvement of Nanjing University research team and UN Environment. This is a significant effort to apply and adapt UN Environment Green Economy Progress framework in a sub-national level for measuring progress toward green economy. A synthesis report in English will be prepared and shared on the UN Environment and PAGE websites.

Uruguay: The PAGE National Coordinator from Peru travelled on Montevideo in July to share lessons learned from the Peruvian experience and to feed in to the discussion on national priorities in Uruguay and possible collaboration on work at the regional level.

Guyana: A coordination and information mission to Guyana took place in July, to establish PAGE's presence in the country, and to understand how PAGE's work can complement and enhance existing inclusive green economy activities in the country.

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - JULY 2017

Country Updates (June 2017):

Mongolia: In June, PAGE Mongolia presented the report, "Gender mainstreaming in Green development policy of Mongolia," to Ministry of Environment officers at a meeting on the Linkage between SDGs and Gender Issues.

Government, university professors and scholars, research institutes, and think tanks discussed findings on the feasibility of incorporating green economy principles into university curriculum. At the meeting, they began to plan activities for creating new courses green economy and modelling and sustainable financing.

Ghana: A PAGE Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting is planned for July, with new membership from SWITCH Africa Green. The composition of the PSC has been revised to reflect the long term vision of the government and to build coherency in green economy initiatives.

Mauritius: PAGE Mauritius held a meeting with the Stock Exchange of Mauritius in June to discuss developing a project on green bonds.

Peru: At the last Technical Committee Meeting of PAGE Peru, it was decided that the Model T21 will be used by the main institutions of the Peruvian State to inform the development of the National Green Growth Strategy (ENCV). To that end, a synthesis document of the Model T21 Final Report has been developed to facilitate the incorporation of its main findings into the ENCV, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) has been invited to participate as a member of PAGE Technical Committee.

Senegal: PAGE is collaborating with the Directorate of Employment to integrate the national strategy on green jobs into the new national employment policy.

South Africa: On 13-15 June, PAGE organized an exhibit at Sustainability Week in South Africa attended by over 1,000 participants. The exhibition received a lot of positive feedback from stakeholders who had not yet heard of PAGE - globally or in South Africa. PAGE South Africa has also developed a brochure on its activities.

China: Preparations are underway to host a Green Economy Academy at provincial level in November 2017.

Uruguay: A planning and stocktaking mission to Uruguay is planned for July 2017.

Guyana: A coordination and information mission to Guyana is planned for July 2017.

Country Updates

COUNTRY UPDATES ON POLICY BRIEFINGS, STRATEGY ADOPTION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - FEBRUARY 2018

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - OCTOBER 2017

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - SEPTEMBER 2017

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - AUGUST 2017

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - JULY 2017

FULL COUNTRY UPDATES - JUNE 2017