Guatemala ranks third in the region on green economic transformation according to PAGE’s Green Economy Progress Index. The news was announced at the High-Level National Green Economy Forum held on March 7-8 in Guatemala City. The two-day event, co-organised by PAGE, gathered national and regional representatives and the private sector to discuss the enabling conditions and windows of opportunity for Guatemala’s transition to a green and inclusive economy.
National Forum on Green Economy
The first “High-Level Green Economy National Forum” in Guatemala opened on 7th March as a space to promote dialogue on the favorable conditions and opportunities for the transition to an inclusive green economy in the country.
The forum was co-organised by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Public Finance and the Ministry of Economy and PAGE Guatemala, and brought together high-level representatives of public and private sectors as well as international entities.
National counterparts highlighted actions that the Government of Guatemala is promoting to strengthen the green economy across sectors and simultaneously reduce environmental degradation in the country. The topics discussed in the forum focused on the roles of the different national sectors, their contributions to the country’s efforts; identify activities and coordinately plan the transition to a green economy.
Among the attendees of the two day were the Vice Minister of MSME Development, Fernando Escalante; the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mario Roberto Rojas Espino the Vice Minister of Finance, Saul Figueroa; the Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Héctor Espinoza; the representative of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Benjamín Leiva; and the representative of the private sector, Enrique Font.
Green Economy Progress Measurement Framework in focus at the forum
Mr. Ricardo Isea from the PAGE Secretariat attended the high-level forum in Guatemala and shared preliminary results of the Third Edition of the Green Economy Progress Index (GEPI) with participants. The index places Guatemala as one of the countries showing the greatest progress in green economic transformation within the group of 22 partner countries that comprise the PAGE family, occupying the third position behind Uruguay and Thailand.
Furthermore, Mr. Isea indicated that the decomposition of the GEPI shows that Guatemala has made progress in social indicators (such as the increase in schooling, the rise in life expectancy, access to basic services, the improvement in income distribution and progress in gender equality) and on environmental indicators such as the reduction of air pollution.
The GEPI measures the progress made in improving the well-being of current generations in relation to economic opportunities, social inclusiveness and environmental protection. The index helps policymakers evaluate their overall progress towards a green and socially inclusive economy and will be published in the coming months.
Circular Economy and Green Industry Workshop
As part of the forum, the “Circular Economy and Green Industry Workshop” was held on 8 March. The objective of the workshop was to increase knowledge and understanding of the inclusive green economy among the participants, and with this, contribute to the objectives of the project to strengthen institutional capacities through training addressing national priorities identified in the policy reform processes. 80 representatives from government, academia, civil society, and private sectors participated, and with whom, through presentations by national and international experts, experiences and lessons learned on circular economy and green industry were shared and discussed.
PAGE Guatemala
Since 2021, Guatemala is a partner country of the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), an initiative which consists of five UN agencies: UNDP, UNEP, UNITAR, UNIDO and ILO.
Guatemala joined PAGE with the objective to integrate the goals of an inclusive green economy (IGE) in national planning, implement sectoral reforms in accordance with national priorities and strengthen individual and institutional capacities.
Sources: PAGE, Guatemala Government, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ministry of Finance, AGN
