Peru has an abundance of natural resources that serve as the backbone of its economy, but decades of resource-driven growth have degraded the environment, resulting in water and air pollution, soil erosion and deforestation. This has affected all segments of society, particularly the most vulnerable. In recent years, Peru has made significant efforts to offset the balance between economic growth and environmental preservation and build sustainability as a driver into its national policy framework.

PAGE commenced work in Peru in 2014, with the aim of promoting the efficient use of resources, environmental quality, and green jobs creation. PAGE has since supported the integration of green growth into national planning, assisted the implementation of green sectoral and thematic policies and built both individual and institutional capacity to support long-term change. In 2018, Peru reached an important milestone with the approval of its National Competitiveness and Productivity Policy that includes a chapter on sustainability.

PAGE work has resulted in several achievements, including: the approval of national-level green policies to boost competitiveness and productivity; sectoral and thematic reforms in green jobs, green industry, teleworking and urban transport; the introduction of Inclusive Green Economy (IGE) courses into national curricula and strengthened capacity on forward-looking policy analysis. 

This has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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Burkina Faso has one of the lowest carbon emissions and ecological footprints in Sub-Saharan Africa, with GDP growth continuing to rise. However, it faces persistent challenges in the form of limited natural resources, high poverty levels and heavy reliance on agriculture.

In light of this, the Government has taken forward several initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable development – including the National Adaptation Plan, with climate change positioned as a high-ranking goal.

In 2014, PAGE was requested to support the development of a National Green Economy Strategy (SNEV) to serve as the backbone of the country’s green economy transition and contribute to the National Plan for Economic and Social Development (PNDES 2016-2020). Several macroeconomic and sectoral assessments were conducted to inform the Strategy, including the Green Economy Assessment that identified priority sectors for green investment.

PAGE work has since culminated in several achievements, including: adoption of the SNEV; sectoral and thematic reforms in green trade, green industry, green taxation and sustainable agriculture; establishment of a green economy master’s degree programme; and support to green entrepreneurs. 

The work has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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Mauritius has transformed into a diversified upper middle-income economy, benefitting from dynamic industrial, financial and tourism sectors and high levels of human development. However, increased economic activity has adversely affected the environment. Marine and air pollution coupled with the island’s vulnerability to climate change have made it essential for Mauritius to build a resource-efficient and resilient economy.

Mauritius has transformed into a diversified upper middle-income economy, benefitting from dynamic industrial, financial and tourism sectors and high levels of human development. However, increased economic activity has adversely affected the environment. Marine and air pollution coupled with the island’s vulnerability to climate change have made it essential for Mauritius to build a resource-efficient and resilient economy.

In addition to the Mauritius National Vision, a Three Year Strategic Plan 2017-2020, entitled “Rising to the Challenge of our Ambitions” was launched in June 2017. Within this plan, green economy was highlighted as an approach to implementing low-carbon growth in key sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, waste management and tourism.

Since 2014, PAGE has supported the government to pursue its vision, with a focus on building capacity for the issuance of green bonds, providing guidance on social policies, reviewing and tracking public environment expenditures, assessing industrial waste and related industrial strategies and advancing green economy learning. A significant contribution was towards the Marshall Plan Against Poverty, including the Marshall Plan Social Contract, which provides assistance to households at risk of extreme poverty. 

The work in Mauritius has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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In recent years, the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso has benefitted economically from the growth of its large agricultural sector. It is now working towards increasing the added value of agriculture commodities through processing as well as reducing the environmental and social challenges associated with this growth.

In 2015, the Provincial Strategy Produce, Conserve and Include (PCI) was launched to increase production, encourage added value through processing of agriculture commodities, conserve natural resources and promote the inclusion of families in rural settlements, traditional and vulnerable communities. This strategy benefits from various national level planning instruments, including the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon, the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP), and the Low Carbon Agriculture Plan.

Against this backdrop, Mato Grosso joined PAGE in 2016, with a priority to support development of a green economy with emphasis on the generation of green employment opportunities and poverty eradication. Thematic and sectoral reforms have been pursued in various priority areas, including agriculture, agro-industry, tourism, renewable energy, land regularisation and green jobs. 

This has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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Guyana is a middle-income country in South America endowed with natural resources, fertile agricultural land and extensive forests. As a natural resource-based economy, the country is highly susceptible to climate change and fluctuations in global commodity prices. Petroleum discovered off the coast in vast quantities offers the potential for rapid industrial development and increased revenues but comes with environmental, governance and economic risks.

The PAGE partnership with Guyana began in 2017, linked to the development and implementation of the Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040.Through this Strategy, which was received by the President in May 2019, the Government is pursuing value-added processing for traditional sectors such as agriculture, while also generating sustainable income and investment opportunities in future growth sectors, including tourism, fruits and vegetables and business process outsourcing. This is coupled with promoting social equity and strengthening the economy’s ecological foundations.

PAGE support to the Green State Development Strategy, through its Green Economy Modelling Study and focus on building stakeholder and institutional capacity, contributes towards the achievement of SDGs 8, 9, 13 and 17, as well as Guyana’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement – in relation to developing the country’s renewable energy potential.

This has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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South Africa has benefitted from high levels of industrialisation and abundant natural resources. It has also made considerable strides towards improving the well-being of its citizens. However, economic growth has slowed in recent years and South Africa still grapples with inequality, poverty, and unemployment. Furthermore, industrialisation, coupled with exploitation of natural resources, has resulted in a large ecological footprint.

South Africa has identified green economy as a national priority through its 2010 New Growth Path and subsequent Green Economy Accord of 2011. The 2012 National Development Plan 2030, strengthened the government’s ability to respond to the impacts of climate change. Moreover, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (2014-19) provided an action plan for realising the country’s national development vision.

Given the comprehensive policy framework already in place when South Africa joined the partnership in 2015, PAGE work has been structured around improving coordination, deepening collaboration and supporting policy implementation. PAGE has also helped to identify priority sectors and strengthened capabilities through green economy learning.

These activities have culminated in several achievements, including creating social dialogue on Just Transition and accelerating reforms related to green industry, green economy progress measurement, trade, water and renewable energy. 

This has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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Argentina is the third largest economy in Latin America and an upper middle-income country with a well-diversified economy. However, it has recently experienced a slowdown in economic progress and a rise in unemployment. Against this background, the country recognizes the need to pursue economic reforms to facilitate growth, stimulate employment and promote sustainability, with important structural challenges to overcome on the road to IGE.

Argentina has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability on an international scale, including promoting the sustainability agenda during its G20 Presidency of 2018. On a national level, Congress recently approved the Minimum Standard Law on Climate Change, setting standards for climate protection in policy strategies for different sectors and a law on prohibiting use of microplastic in cosmetic and housekeeping products.

Argentina joined PAGE in 2018, to support advancement of IGE with a focus on the following: governance; technical analysis to inform policymaking; vocational training to support labour market transition; and sustainable productive development and finance for technological innovation, including fiscal incentives, sustainable public procurement schemes and sustainable financial instruments. PAGE also plans to contribute to sectoral reform through cross-sectoral dialogue and targeted support to waste management and green industry. 

This has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

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After recording GDP growth of around 7-8 per cent for several years, India began seeing an economic slowdown. The country also faces acute environmental challenges, including climate variability, poor air quality, over-exploitation of groundwater, water scarcity, increasing inland and coast salinity, land degradation, and increased intensity of climate extreme events. These have adversely affected economic performance and resulted in increased poverty, unemployment and poor health.

India has made significant efforts to tackle this through several policies and programmes, including, the National Policy on Biofuels, the National Clean Environment Fund, the Smart Cities Mission and concerted efforts to achieve NDCs and SDGs. It has also embraced integrated economy-wide approaches, including circular economy and sustainable consumption and production.

India joined PAGE in 2018 to catalyze action and enhance cooperation on existing initiatives on national and sub-national levels. The government’s focus on increasing resource efficiency through the National Resource Efficiency Programme provides a specific entry point for PAGE support.

Support areas being explored include:

1. Enhancing national initiatives on resource efficiency;
2. Providing support for the implementation of India’s resource efficiency roadmap;
3. Supporting national priorities pertaining to sustainable public procurement and eco-labelling;
4. Supporting the modernization of micro-small- and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the manufacturing sectors; and
5. Building synergies with other green economy-aligned initiatives.

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Kazakhstan is an upper-middle-income country whose economic growth has largely depended on the exploitation of fossil fuels since its independence. However, climate change, environmental degradation and waste pollution present significant threats. Kazakhstan is one of the biggest emitters of CO2 in the world in terms of emissions per capita, it is also flood-prone, exposed to extreme temperatures and impacted by glacier melting droughts.

The Government has taken progressive steps to promote sustainable development with ambitious targets set in the National Development Strategy Kazakhstan 2050 and Green Economy Concept. The country is also in the process of revising its Environmental Code to set the frame for sustainable use of natural resources.

Kazakhstan joined PAGE in 2018 to support the implementation of its National Development Strategy, the development of a new Low-Carbon Development Strategy, and the development of a legal regulatory framework to implement the updated Environmental Code. On a sectoral level, waste management is considered a focus area, together with green technology, public procurement, fiscal policy and building sustainable and climate-resilient regions.

This has contributed to several Sustainable Development Goals, including:

LEARN MORE ABOUT PAGE WORK IN KAZAKHSTAN IN OUR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT