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20-21 November 2017, Taizhou, China – The United Nations Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) held its first provincial-level Green Economy Academy in Jiangsu’s Taizhou city. The two-day event gathers more than 50 participants, including environmental scholars, policymakers and front-line environmental bureau officers from seven municipalities in Jiangsu for an interactive learning experience on advancing green economy transition in Jiangsu.

In the opening speech, Mr. Wu Shunze, Director-General of PRCEE, pointed out the theoretical underpinning for the green development notion in China, and the challenges ahead. While green development as a concept already resonates well with the public in China, the green sector of the economy (namely the environmental goods and services and natural capital) is yet to reach a critical mass for catalyzing a full-scale green economy transition. In this context, PAGE provincial academy provides an excellent platform for knowledge sharing and the exchange of ideas and good practices.

The academy agenda, tailored to the local learning needs and context, consists of the following seven modules jointly delivered by leading scholars and specialists in China as well as from PAGE UN agencies:

- Inclusive Green Economy: the UN perspectives and how does it apply to the Jiangsu context

- Green Finance: channeling capital in green industries

- Assessing and Investing in Natural Capital

- SDGs, MAPS and Gender in the Green Economy

- Measuring the progress of Green Economy: the Green Economy Progress (GEP) framework, indicator and its first application in Jiangsu

- Facilitating the Green Transition: Introduction of Green Industrial Policy tools

- Green Industrial Parks in China: evolving development, policy tools and recommendations

27 -29 November 2017, Dakar, Senegal - PAGE organized a SIYB (ILO Training Tool on Business Creation and Management) Training of Trainers workshop on the ILO Green Business Booklet from 27 to 29 November 2017 at the Fleur de Lys Hotel in Dakar.

26 participants (8 women and 18 men) took part in this training including 17 SIYB trainers of Senegal and 5 SIYB trainers of Burkina Faso, 3 officials from  Senegal and one official from Burkina as beneficiaries of the future training activities.

Through this training, PAGE supports Senegal in the framework of the project on  the creation of green job opportunities (PACEV) and in Burkina as part of the “Maison de l’entreprise”. Thus the trainers were selected on the basis of the PACEV intervention zones for Senegal and as trainers of the “Maison de l’entreprise” for Burkina Faso.

At the end of the training, participants are able to train entrepreneurs to identify environmental challenges and ways to overcome them, define the green enterprise and understand the benefits of green business.

They are also able to train entrepreneurs to find a green business idea, develop a green business plan and green the production and consumption processes.

The next steps after this training will be to train the entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of PACEV (Senegal) and the “Maison de l’entreprise” (Burkina Faso) on the green enterprise with the aim of encouraging the creation and development of green enterprises in the sectors such as solid waste management, renewable energies, agroforestry and agriculture.  

By UN Environment

6 December 2017 , Nairobi, Kenya – The world today committed to a pollution-free planet at the close of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, with resolutions and pledges promising to improve the lives of billions across the globe by cleaning up our air, land and water.

If every promise made in and around the summit is met, 1.49 billion more people will breathe clean air, 480,000 km (or around 30 per cent) of the world’s coastlines will be clean, and USD 18.6 billion for research and development and innovative programmes to combat pollution will come online.

“The science we have seen at this assembly shows we have been so bad at looking after our planet that we have very little room to make more mistakes,” said Dr. Edgar Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica and the President of the 2017 UN Environment Assembly. “With the promises made here, we are sending a powerful message that we will listen to the science, change the way we consume and produce, and tackle pollution in all its forms across the globe.”

Over 4,000 heads of state, ministers, business leaders, UN officials, civil society representatives, activists and celebrities gathered at the summit in Nairobi, which ran for three days.

For the first time at a UN Environment Assembly, environment ministers issued a declaration. This declaration said nations would honour efforts to prevent, mitigate and manage the pollution of air, land and soil, freshwater, and oceans – which harms our health, societies, ecosystems, economies, and security.

The declaration committed to increasing research and development, targeting pollution through tailored actions, moving societies towards sustainable lifestyles based on a circular economy, promoting fiscal incentives to move markets and promote positive change, strengthening and enforcing laws on pollution, and much more.

The assembly also passed 13 non-binding resolutions and three decisions. Among them were moves to address marine litter and microplastics, prevent and reduce air pollution, cut out lead poisoning from paint and batteries, protect water-based ecosystems from pollution, deal with soil pollution, and manage pollution in areas hit by conflict and terrorism.

“Today we have put the fight against pollution high on the global political agenda,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. “We have a long struggle ahead of us, but the summit showed there is a real appetite for significant positive change.

“It isn’t just about the UN and governments, though. The massive support we have seen from civil society, businesses and individuals – with millions of pledges to end pollution – show that this is a global challenge with a global desire to win this battle together.”

A large part of the impact from the assembly comes from global support. UN Environment’s #BeatPollution campaign hit almost 2.5 million pledges during the event, with 88,000 personal commitments to act.

Chile, Oman, South Africa and Sri Lanka all joined the #CleanSeas campaign during the Nairobi summit, with Sri Lanka promising to implement a ban on single-use plastic products from 1 January 2018, step up the separation and recycling of waste, and set the goal of freeing its ocean and coasts of pollution by 2030. There are now 39 countries in the campaign.

Colombia, Singapore, Bulgaria, Hungary and Mongolia joined 100 cities who were already in the #BreatheLife campaign, which aims to tackle air pollution. Every signatory has committed to reduce air pollution to safe levels by 2030, with Singapore promising to tighten fuel and emissions standards for vehicles, and emissions standards for industry.

The global momentum comes not a moment too soon, as the UN Environment report, TheExecutive Director’s Report: Towards a Pollution-Free Planet, lays out.

Overall, environmental degradation causes nearly one in four of all deaths worldwide, or 12.6 million people a year, and the widespread destruction of key ecosystems. Air pollution is the single biggest environmental killer, claiming 6.5 million lives each year.

Exposure to lead in paint causes brain damage to 600,000 children annually. Our seas already contain 500 “dead zones” with too little oxygen to support marine life. Over 80 per cent of the world’s wastewater is released into the environment without treatment, poisoning the fields where we grow our food and the lakes and rivers that provide drinking water to 300 million people.

There is also a huge economic cost. A recent report by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health says that welfare losses due to pollution are estimated at over USD 4.6 trillion each year, equivalent to 6.2 per cent of global economic output.

“We had two missions at this assembly,” said Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Environment’s deputy head. “One [agreeing on action] is accomplished. The second we must start tomorrow.”

For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:

Rob Few, Head of News and Media, UN Environment, +254 715 618 081, robert.few@unep.org

Shari Nijman, News and Media Officer, UN Environment, +254 720 673 046, shari.nijman@unep.org

Maria Amparo Lasso, Head of Communications, UN Environment Latin America, +507 685 23459, Maria.lasso@unep.org

NOTE TO EDITORS

Download the Ministerial Declaration here and the final resolutions here.

The next UN Environment Assembly is expected in two years’ time. The President of the next Assembly will be Estonian Minister of the Environment, Mr. Siim Kiisler, who was appointed at the end of the meeting. For more information on the assembly, visit the website.

Download The Executive Director’s Report: Towards a pollution-free planet here.

South Africa workshop on green economy modelling stocktaking

At the back of South Africa’s 5th Annual System Dynamics Conference (5ASDC), PAGE held a green economy modelling workshop in South Africa on November 28th. The workshop invited various stakeholders from the conference and introduced the newly developed, Integrated Green Economy Modelling (IGEM) Framework. This was followed by several discussions on  the potential of using these tools as part the proposed PAGE activity in South Africa.

This workshop was concluded with concrete ways forward, including the development of an exhaustive list that depicts available modelling tools which can then be integrated in the South Africa Green Economy modelling as well as exploring information needs.

Ghana Green Finance Conference

Ghana hosted the third Green Financing for Sustainable Development Conference on November 21st. The discussion was on the expansion of  access to climate-focused finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa. The conference provided an important platform to discuss the funding for: climate change mitigation and adaptation; climate conscious investments; various risks climate change poses to a financial institution’s portfolio; and the potential for climate change regulation to spur the development of new products and services for individuals as well as SMEs. Several discussions also revolved around the financial sector’s role in sustainable development and the need to make sustainability part of the organizational culture. PAGE provided inputs on the role of policymakers in promoting green finance and green energy, especially in the Ghanaian context.

By International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services 

9 November 2017, Bonn, Germany - PAGE hosted a side event at COP 23, addressing the question: How to build green and inclusive economies to implement the Paris Agreement? This event convened on 9 November 2017, in Bonn, Germany, on the sidelines of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was organized by the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) in collaboration with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The event aimed to: explore policy innovations developed by countries to advance implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and consider perspectives from international organizations.

OPENING

Stephan Contius, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Germany, opened the session. He noted that the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda are historic agreements that operationalize the concept of sustainability. He pointed to the emergence of sustainable and inclusive growth models following on from the Paris Agreement, which he said demonstrated that the global values of inclusivity are within reach. Contius acknowledged that, nevertheless, the structural transformation towards more sustainability might also cause social and economic disruptions in the short term, for example with jobs moving from one sector to another. In this regard, it will be the task of governments to integrate those social and economic implications more effectively into policies and to make sure that the needed transformation will be in line with the guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind.

Following opening remarks, participants watched a video depicting the implementation of a PAGE project in Mongolia.  

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moustapha Kamal Gueye, International Labour Organization, moderated the discussion. Zamba Batjargal, Mongolia, informed participants that his country was the first in the world to join PAGE, because of a desire to promote green development. He emphasized that his country had not only mobilized modern technology but also incorporated traditional cultural practices into green development.

Rhoda Boateng, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), stressed that structural changes from the transition to a low-carbon, resilient economy “hold the promise of jobs creation,” but also pose significant challenges, including job losses in carbon-intensive industries. She emphasized the importance of bringing trade unions to the table to ensure that the transition takes the concerns and rights of workers on board, and achieves the just transition they are advocating for.

Philipp Ischer, Switzerland, emphasized that the green economy is at the heart of the mission of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. He outlined his organization’s Green Economy Roadmap that envisages international cooperation, adding that his country’s engagement with PAGE supports developing countries in transitioning to a green economy.

Aik Hoe Lim, WTO, pointed out that in an increasingly interconnected world, trade plays a significant role in greening economies. He acknowledged concerns about barriers to participation in a green transition, and highlighted the WTO framework designed to address protectionism as a measure aimed at reducing these barriers.

Regina Asariotis, UNCTAD, discussed her organization’s focus on transport, noting that 60% of goods globally are loaded and unloaded in developing countries and 80% of goods traded are carried by sea. She said that this has both mitigation and adaptation implications, highlighting the importance of developing climate-resilient supply chains and promoting interdisciplinary research to identify adaptation pathways.

During the ensuing discussion, Asariotis responded to a question on how to leverage the fourth industrial revolution for a greener economy, noting that in relation to transportation, increased digitalization could provide greening opportunities, for example by reducing transport needs. On the role and opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the green economy, Lim explained that trade and technology could stimulate investment in new “climate economy” areas, promoting the growth of new SMEs; however, she cautioned against establishing “a green divide” where some countries are more able to meet higher sustainability requirements while others area left behind. Additional questions centered on: the drivers of future growth; recycling for green jobs; the differences between green development and the green economy; and how regulatory frameworks could help to avoid a green divide.

Photo by IISD/ENB

For more details: http://enb.iisd.org/climate/cop23/ilo/9nov.html

28 September 2017, Lima -  On Thursday the 28th of September, the Peruvian National Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion (MTPE)’s Impulsa Perú programme organized its first discussion on how the country can achieve SDG 8 – Decent work and Economic Growth – centred on “Employment and Sustainability for the 2030 Agenda.” 

The discussion was opened with remarks from the Executive Coordinator of Impulsa Perú, Rossana Taquia, who celebrated the actions that the programme has promoted that are leading the country towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the two years since its inception.

In the first roundtable discussion, “Challenges and Opportunities of toward achieving SDG 8 in Peru by 2030,” the National Coordinator PAGE Perú, Miguel Angel Beretta began his presentation stating that "green growth is the key to sustainable development,” and sharing knowledge on the progress of each axis of work of the PAGE initiative. He reiterated that achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 8 would require institutional support and commitment from the government, and finally, he stressed the government with the support of public, private and civil society sectors must create the sufficient conditions for people to access more dignified jobs while promoting the development of a sustainable economy.

"PAGE has contributed in a number of ways; in particular, we have focused on developing a proposal for prospective green industries and conducting various studies with the Ministry of Labour and Employment Promotion to advance regulations on telework and, in general, on green jobs. It is important to consider that SDG 8 is a pillar for decent employment and the economy," he concluded.

The Head of Ethics of Leadership, Ethics and Social Responsibility (CLERS) of the University of the Pacific (UP), Francois Vallaeys, presented the role of universities and civil society in achieving SDG 8. "The role of our university is to promote decent employment for graduates and teachers. From the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UP, we have incubated business initiatives and strengthened the entrepreneurial ecosystem that contributes to the growth of the country and the well-being of society, and promoted the conditions for fair employment, "said Vallaeys.

One of the projects is NOMADES, a company that seeks to build community through products that shape Peruvian culture and to promote a "fair market” by eliminating brokers. Another highlighted project is Q'UMA, producers of organic chocolate and coffee through agro-ecology. 

Mr. Vallaeys also pointed to the importance of the circular economy for disrupting the political and social agenda and sharing the economic, social and environmental benefits of production and consumption. In a circular economy, the waste from one business activity is used as an input for another. 

Number of jobs required for the treatment of 10,000 tonnes of waste by type of treatment

This article has been adapted from the PAGE Peru website. To read the original, please click here, and to find out more about PAGE's work in Peru please click here.

12-13 September 2017, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China - The Environment and Trade Hub, under the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), and in collaboration with the Research Institute for Global Value Chains, International Trade Centre (ITC) and Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, organized a two-day training in Suzhou, on Sustainable Textile Trade and Global Value Chains.

The training targeted local textile producers and exporters, as well as retailers and policymakers. More than 50 entrepreneurs and supply chain managers from Wuzhong, Guosu, Xiangcheng, Kunshan, Wujiang, Zhangjiagang, Changshu joined the training. Training agenda was tailored to local demand and interest, and covered topics such as global textile trade and value chain development, voluntary sustainability standards, non-tariff measures for textile trade, clean production in textile industry, and corporate social responsibility in textile supply chains. Special thematic sessions were organized focusing on chemical use, water, and energy in textile value chains, as well as labor aspects, competitiveness of SMEs, gender and women empowerment. Experts from international organizations, national agencies and NGOs shared their tools, resources, and insights. Companies also had a chance to share experience and good practice, such as investing in green innovation, applying low-carbon production method and circular economy approaches, engaging employees and suppliers in managing sustainability, improving the resource efficiency of water and raw materials, as well as disclosing environmental information and improving transparency in chemicals.

The training was supported by the Environmental Protection Department of Jiangsu Province, Department of Commerce of Jiangsu Province, Trade Development Bureau of Ministry of Commerce of China, China National Textile And Apparel Council (CNTAC), International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), China National Cleaner Production Centre (CNCPC), China Association for Standardization (CAS), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),China WTO Tribune, Sino-Swedish Corporate Social Responsibility Website, and China-Germany Centre for Sustainable Development.

37 enterprises participated in the training, 80% of which engage in the textile & apparel production and exports, including upstream and downstream industries, such as fiber, dyeing, weaving, garment making and other production processes. In terms of size, more than half of the participant companies are large-sized enterprises, including leading garment and clothing producers in China, such as Bosideng Group and Hengli Group. 13% were medium-sized enterprises and 30% small enterprises and start-ups. In the group discussion session, participating enterprises were divided into six groups. Group representatives from Suzhou Renli Weaving Co.Ltd, Suzhou Xinshen Group Co.Ltd, Suzhou Hexiang Textile Co.Ltd, Jiangsu Shenghong Group Co.Ltd, Jiangsu Jingcheng textile Co.Ltd, ChangshuXinxinjingweibian Co.Ltd, Suzhou Yibeicleaning Co.Ltd presented key conclusions from their group discussion and shared views on greening textile trade and value chains.

The training created high enthusiasm from participating companies. Participants learned about the basic principles and trends in sustainable trade and global value chains for textile products, as well as tools and approaches to managing sustainability along textile value chains.

About the Sustainable Textile Trade and Global Value Chains project in Jiangsu:

The textile industry is one of the pillar industries in Jiangsu and has been playing an important role in Jiangsu’s economy, exports, industrial upgrading, as well as its transition to an Inclusive Green Economy. Jiangsu is also one of the leading provinces in China in textile production and export, taking up around 20% of total textile exports in China. The Development Plan for Textile Industry in Jiangsu released in 2016 outlined main objects and focus areas for development of textile industry in the period of the 13th Five Year Plan. It highlighted the importance of the green and sustainable development of the textile industry and the opportunities arising from upgrading export structure while moving up along the global value chains. Under this context, the Environment and Trade Hub, in partnership with the Research Institute of Global Value Chains initiated a project to improve the capacity of textile companies in Jiangsu Province to better understand the sustainable trade and value chain development opportunities in the textile sector. It will assist Jiangsu’s efforts in the transition towards an Inclusive Green Economy and achieve its goals about industrial upgrading and green development as outlined in the provincial 13th Five Year Plan. 

About Environment and Trade Hub of UN Environment

Launched in 2015, the Environment and Trade Hub serves as the overarching delivery mechanism for UN Environment’s work on trade. As a demand-driven mechanism, the Environment and Trade Hub offers capacity building and related policy advice on sustainable trade and investment that are tailored to local needs and circumstances. Its mission is to enable countries to use trade and investment as vehicles for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

For more information, please visit here.

About the Research Institute for Global Value Chains, please click here.

6 – 8 September 2017, Livingstone, Zambia - Zambia hosted the first “Africa Forum on Private Sector Inclusive Green Growth and Decent Green Job Creation” on 6-8 September 2017. This event was jointly organized by the Finnish-funded 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. Thematic and sectoral discussions were held and focused on what shape the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 8 could take when private sector and governments join forces to develop markets for green growth and job creation.

Convened by the Zambia Green Jobs Programme, the forum built on the collective knowledge of 150 business, policy-makers, social partners and development practitioners from more than 25 countries in Africa and elsewhere, including representatives from PAGE South Africa.

Topics for the parallel sessions ranged from macroeconomic and fiscal policies, social protection for informal and rural economy workers, green employment projection, green building/sustainable construction, sustainable waste management, sustainable agriculture/forestry, green industry and trade, clean and renewable energy.

PAGE South Africa delegates contributed to the knowledge sharing by featuring research products and policy-oriented work in the field of Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policies, and Green Industry and Trade, including sharing the summary for the upcoming South Africa Green Industry and Trade Assessment (available here). 

PAGE South Africa participated in knowledge sharing sessions featuring Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policies, and Green Industry and Trade. In the first elective session, Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga (UN Environment) and Matthias Ploeg (on behalf of the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development DCED) seated as panelists to discuss the role of macroeconomic and fiscal policies in stimulating the transition to an inclusive green economy and supporting delivery of the SDGs. This session offered participants an in-depth understanding of different policy instruments, regulations and standards for green business environment reform by reviewing examples from different countries. Case studies came from the research work conducted by UN Environment in the area of fiscal policy reform for a low carbon and inclusive green economy and by the Green Growth Working Group of DCED on Business Environment Reform and Green Growth. 

Furthermore, the evolution of green economy policy landscape in South Africa stimulated some reflections in terms of policy effectiveness across different economic sectors. Agriculture, food production, fisheries and forestry sector proved to have a high potential to create direct jobs, and investments in resource conservation and sustainable waste management contributed to deliver substantial social and environmental benefits. However, with 32 green economy-related policies and strategies, South Africa could gather greater results and attract additional investments through better streamlining and coordination from national to provincial and local levels.

In the second elective session, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair (Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies - TIPS) participated with Yaya Ouattara (International Trade Centre - ITC) and Japhet Banda (Zambia Sugar) in a panel discussion on the potential for African countries, and particularly South Africa and Zambia, to seize green trade and industrial opportunities. Further discussion was continued on where green manufacturing opportunities are, and what tools and international support are available for governments to support the development of green opportunities and enable SMEs to be competitive while complying with Green Trade Standards and connecting to international markets. 

In terms of PAGE contribution to the regional dialogue, this session offered an opportunity to share the findings arising from the analysis undertaken in South Africa, in the framework of the Green Economy Industry and Trade Analysis (SA-GEITA). Carried out by TIPS, this research aims to identify and assess sectors or industrial segments that offer particular opportunities for green industrial development, both for import substitution and for and exports. High trade-potential sectors include small-scale renewable energy and smart grids, biogas-transport value chain, composite materials, and water-related technologies.

The forum closed on September 8, 2017 with local and international experts adding to their repertoires innovative solutions and engaging on action plans and ideas for collaboration for promoting private sector inclusive green growth. Contributions of experts from PAGE was critical to share latest research outcomes that stimulated a peer-to-peer and south-south productive exchange of ideas and information in the formulation of green economy and green growth policies for the African region.

Learning materials can be accessed online http://www.itcilo.org/africa-forum-2017 and the discussion continues at #greenafricaforum. 

15 September 2017, Nanjing, China - PAGE launched the second phase of the project “Transition to a Green Economy in China’s Jiangsu Province” in Nanjing on 15 September 2017. Since 2015, PAGE partner agencies have been engaging with local stakeholders on advancing the provincial level green economy research. The ‘Jiangsu Green Economy Transition Stocktaking Report’ was published in June 2016, summarizing the progress made thus far and challenges faced during Jiangsu’s transition towards green economy.

Building upon the main findings from phase I, the phase II of PAGE Jiangsu project sets its focus on the green transition of industrial parks in Jiangsu with the objectives to:

 - Conduct case studies of industrial parks highlighting the success stories and lessons learnt in Jiangsu

 - Develop a framework of applicable indicators for measuring the progress of green transition of industrial parks

 - Put forward recommendations and transition pathways for Jiangsu industrial park

 - Promote the Jiangsu experience of green industrial transition and share among other provinces in China and aboard

The launch event was attended by more than 40 participants including experts and representatives from PRCEE, UN PAGE agencies, NDRC, MIIT, CRAES, Nanjing University, joined by the provincial level inter-departmental officials responsible for Environmental Protection, Development and Reform, Economic and Communication, Technology and Commerce affairs in Jiangsu.

Presentations were given on topics including:

 - Review of the phase I activities and achievement, and the objectives, priority and expected outcomes for phase II;

 - Ongoing initiatives for greening industrial  parks, including different national and provincial approaches, such as “Green Industrial Parks” led by MIIT, the “Ecological Industrial Parks” jointly led by MEP, MOFCOM and MOST, the “Circular Upgrade of Industrial Parks” led by NDRC and the “Low-Carbon Industrial Parks” led by NDRC and MIIT;

 - Tools, instrument and knowledge products developed by PAGE to facilitate green industrial transition at a global level, such as a publication entitled “Green Industrial Policy: Concept, policies, country experiences”(GIP) and a, Practitioner’s Guide for Strategic Green Industrial Policymaking (SGIP);

  - More specifically, two pilot studies carried out by PAGE agencies and partners were presented to the audience: UNIDO’s work on a Green Industrial Progress Index in China and a joint study by UN Environment and Nanjing University on Jiangsu Provincial Green Economy Progress (GEP) Indicators.

Following the presentation, participants had a fruitful and informative discussion on the key challenges faced in implementing circular economy and cleaner production practices in industrial parks. While the Chinese model of “promoting industrial parks” represents a valuable instrument in stimulating economic growth on limited land resources, it also gives rise to enormous challenges in resource efficiency and pollution. In particular, several concerns are highlighted during the discussion: (1) weak environmental rules and regulations and weak enforcement of environmental permits and EIA, (2) further coordination among various ministries is needed to collect, publish and standardize the environmental data at industrial park level; (3) further policy innovation is needed to strengthen environmental management, especially on green investment /finance and central risk management.

After an extensive stakeholder consultation, the following five suggestions are proposed to inform the design and implementation of phase II of PAGE Jiangsu:

(1)   To establish a mechanism for facilitating the green transition of industrial parks,  focusing on policy guidance and market-based innovation

(2)   To further leverage the concept of “circular economy” and “ecological upgrade” in promoting the green transition of industrial parks

(3)   To better define the existing terminologies that apply in greening the industrial parks and establish linkage among concepts of “ecological, low-carbon and circular”.

(4)   To promote the establishment of a provincial-level green industrial park network (platform) to share experience and expertise

(5)    To build a comprehensive indicator framework, covering economic, environmental and social aspects of the green transition progress of industrial parks for a systematic evaluation.