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Continuing on from work established in 2020, PAGE, together with the American University of Central Asia (AUCA), has developed five Inclusive Green Economy courses to be delivered by the five universities in the Alliance of Universities for Green Economy and Sustainable Development (AVZUR). The topics of the courses were selected in a collaborative process, developed by AVZUR member universities, and are now co-owned by the Alliance members. In 2020, the priorities for these courses were identified together with AVZUR — Economics of climate change in Central Asia (OSCE Academy); Green and sustainable finance (International Alatoo University); Agriculture and green growth (Kyrgyz National Agrarian University); Green economy and international trade (AUCA); and Introduction to green economy (Kyrgyz Economic University). 

Further, through this partnership, country-tailored courses have been developed on green economy modelling and green jobs assessment building on existing PAGE resources and expertise. PAGE’s Green Economy Modelling course has been translated into Russian and made available to Alliance members. So far, this course will be delivered in at least one university in the next academic year. There will also be a training on green jobs assessment organized for university professors, led by the ILO.  

Complementing this project, a youth engagement campaign was led by UNITAR to create projects that raise awareness on green economy issues — after a competitive process, seven eco-projects received funding support through Youth Green Idea Competition.

PAGE Indonesia has completed a Policy Scoping Assessment in West Java Province on Food Loss and Waste (FLW) to inform regional policies. A roundtable discussion was held on the assessment’s findings to inform government stakeholders and contribute to the formulation of a strong FLW strategy and subsequent programmes. 

As food waste contributes 7.3% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) every year in Indonesia, the Food Loss and Waste Policy Scoping Assessment and roundtable discussion for West Java Province is also contributing to the national policy process for FLW in Indonesia and its efforts to achieve SDG 12.3, following a national study conducted and launched by BAPPENAS earlier this year. 

The provincial assessment has retained strong ownership from the Government of West Java — along with being a key reference to formulate the FLW policy and programmes of the province, the provincial Government also intends to put the FLW as an indicator in the next regional development planning document (RPJMD) of West Java Province 2025-2029. 

Further expanding the potential impact, representatives from the West Java provincial Government have also presented PAGE’s FLW policy assessment and policy recommendations to other Indonesian sub-national governments during the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 Dialogues (Indonesian Sub-National Food Systems Dialogues) in August 2021. 

Read the Results Here 

Argentina

• The PAGE National Coordinator and UNDP focal point participated as keynote speakers alongside parliamentarians and townhall members of the City of Buenos Aires in a webinar on "Green Jobs, Perspectives and Challenges" held on 14 July. The webinar, organized by the Metropolitan Foundation in conjunction with the Center for Metropolitan Studies (CEM), revolved around the strategies and challenges when implementing green jobs in Argentina.

• On 28 July, the director of the Sustainable Industry Directorate met with the National Chamber of the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry, presenting PAGE's work related to sustainable consumption and production — focusing on the advances made on the National Plan for the promotion of the Circular Economy and showcasing that the transition from a linear to circular economy does not necessarily entail additional costs.

Peru

• The Training of Trainers for the pilot course on Green Entrepreneurship was concluded in August, featuring 17 participants from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The course consists of two modules, supporting entrepreneurs to either develop a new green business or green processes in already existing businesses. In September, the course will be replicated for 16 migrant beneficiaries within the framework of the ILO Migration Project.

Indonesia and India 

• On 9 August, PAGE held a peer-to-peer learning event between PAGE India and PAGE Indonesia on the process of conducting a Green Economy Learning Assessment (GELA).

Senegal 

• The project for the Promotion of Integrated Management and Economy of Solid Waste (Promoged) officially launched on 24 June at the Mbeubeuss landfill. PAGE has previously contributed to the project by supporting rapid assessments on the waste management market and the potential of a cooperative waste management approach, in collaboration with the ILO and WIEGO.

Mauritius

• Following the launch of Green Recovery activities in Mauritius last month, the Cabinet has agreed to the establishment of a National Steering Committee (NSC) for PAGE Mauritius to direct and supervise PAGE country work, related to the Green Recovery Programme, as a tool to meet the objectives of PAGE Mauritius while advancing national policies, strategies and programmes. The NSC held its first meeting on 20 August 2021, chaired by the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, with representatives from line ministries, the UNRCO and PAGE agencies, as well as from the private sector, research bodies and civil society groups.

South Africa

• The PAGE National Coordinator was invited by the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre in Kampala, Uganda to participate as a panellist in the webinar Youth engagement in the UNFCCC process and more ambitious climate action, sharing examples from PAGE’s work with youth to advance climate action in South Africa.

A new diploma on Green Jobs and Just Transition has been launched in Argentina through the Institute of the World of Work at the National University UNTREF following PAGE inputs. This first cohort of students enrolled join from various Chambers, Trade Unions, the UN System and government. 

Course modules include Sustainable Development, Just Transition and Green Jobs; Just Transition and Green Employment. Regulatory framework; Ecological Transition and Green Recovery; Sustainable Production and Consumption

Green Trade; Incentive Policies for Just Transition; Social Dialogue: Definitions and Tools to Work the Just Transition and the Promotion of Green Employment; and Skills and Competencies for Just Transition and Green Employment.

A number of PAGE studies have aided in the development of the curriculum and the PAGE Coordinator, Cabinet Chief of the Secretary of State for Employment, and Chief Economist of the UN RCO have all contributed to delivering courses.

Learn More 

On 8 June 2021, UNITAR organized an experience-sharing meeting between Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Burkina Faso on the development of a directory of green jobs and professions. Identified as a priority in 2015, the green jobs directory is part of ongoing work aligned with Senegal’s national strategy for green jobs promotion. Using the experience from the Ivory Coast, the directory will organize data across categories, such as nomenclature, skills, knowledge, and work environments and act as a tool to better provide professional guidance to the stakeholders in the job market and offer guidance for trainers and job seekers. 

The directory aims to further enable the green economy transformation supporting the creation of new green jobs and the adaptation and transformation of existing jobs, and identifying learning gaps. It will allow stakeholders in the labour market, such as employers, to more accurately measure and define the green skills they require, therefore helping guide the training sector in developing programmes to meet this demand.

It was along these lines that UNITAR first initiated in 2018 a mapping of institutional learning needs and capacities related to Inclusive Green Economy. The objective of this study was to have an assessment of the skills and learning priorities for the implementation of national green economy policies and national capacities to meet related training needs and to explore actions needed for green economy learning in the country.

Argentina’s Ministry of Production has announced a National Green Productive Development Plan to align the country’s production with the global climate agenda. PAGE-led initiatives such as National Dialogues held in 2019 and 2020, various assessments and the creation of the “Just Transition Board” within the National Cabinet of Ministers Against Climate Change have all contributed to its development and placement on the political agenda. 

PAGE is currently working on several instruments that will help the Government in implementing the Plan, such as Green Jobs Indicators for active labour market policies and green standards for finance, as well as an upcoming study on the fiscal impact and strategy for Circular Economy. 

Overall the Green Productive Development Plan aligns with Argentina’s commitment to combat climate change and includes a set of initiatives to implement that commitment in production systems with a sustainable, inclusive and environmentally responsible paradigm — across government, private sector and civil society.

The goals of the Plan include:

• Economic, federal, inclusive and sustainable development.

• Added value and generation of green jobs.

• Reduction of the impact of production on climate change, within the framework of international agreements.

• Promotion of productivity and competitiveness.

Learn more about the Plan

The webinar “Learning and Skills Development for Green Recovery: Building Back Better with Low Carbon Development in Indonesia” was organized by PAGE Indonesia on 23 June 2021 — focused on the role of learning and skills development in enabling Indonesia to “Build Back Better” through its Low-Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI). The event was framed around the findings of the Green Economy Learning Assessment (GELA) conducted in Indonesia last year, which identified gaps and entry points for scaling green economy learning in the country.

The webinar was led by UNDP, with support from UNITAR, ILO and in partnership with BAPPENAS (the Ministry of National Development Planning) and featured speakers from various government ministries including the Ministry of National Development Planning, Institute of State Administration of the Republic of Indonesia (LAN), Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and Ministry of Industry (MoI), as well as from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Indonesia workers association (represented by KSBSI), civil society, the academic community, and private sector. Among the presentations, a policy framework for green jobs and a just transition was presented by the ILO, providing some of key findings of their recent decent jobs and just transition policy readiness assessments worked in the ASEAN region, including an ongoing study in Indonesia. 

The webinar was attended by over 400 participants across Zoom and YouTube from a mix of government officials from various ministries, sub-national governments, the private sector, universities (from the Western, Central, and Eastern parts of Indonesia), civil society,  development partners, and workers associations. 

The audience was able to engage across interactive polls, open discussion and a full Q&A session at the end.

The Green Economy Learning Assessment (GELA) Executive Summary report was also launched at this webinar.

English version - GELA Indonesia Executive Summary_Eng

Indonesian version - GELA Indonesia Ringkasan Eksekutif_INA

Green Recovery activities have officially begun in Mauritius, with a launch ceremony held on 17 June. With PAGE technical support and funding via the German government, the programme has been designed to support national economic recovery efforts from COVID-19 impacts, building on the results of PAGE's four-year presence in Mauritius, informing policy development, fostering national ownership and strengthening national capacities in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Key objectives include improving the business environment and developing incentives to promote a sustainable agro-food industry and the expansion of small and medium-sized enterprises in that sector. 

The project will support macroeconomic modeling to help predict the creation of green jobs in the agro-food sectors and assess the impacts of economic recovery on the sectors. It will also create a diagnostic and rapid assessment toolkit to increase public and private funding for nature-based solutions and smart agriculture that will support sustainable food systems. The project will then help develop short production circuits, in part by informing the Government’s farm-to-fork strategy, and will build the capacity of private firms in the hospitality and food sectors on new food safety management protocols. 

The launch gathered over 130 online and in-person participants and a following meeting took place between relevant stakeholders to plan the next steps of the PAGE project, to prepare for the subsequent sessions of the dialogue on food systems, and to plan for a series of knowledge exchanges on the Green Recovery. A first consultation session on food waste was also conducted. 

"We need cross-sector efforts both to recover from the pandemic—which has affected people, economies and the environment—and to address the impact of climate change and pollution. To achieve this, we need to collaborate among international development partners, the private sector, academia, civil society, and communities. The pandemic has also highlighted vulnerabilities around food security and in response, the UN is running a global dialogue on how to improve food systems. The results of national food systems dialogue will hence inform a global Food Systems Summit held in September to agree on solutions that takes all voices into account.  The Green Recovery Fund project and the national dialogue on food systems that are being launched today aim to provide appropriate responses to some of these issues.”, said Her Excellency Ms. Christine N Umutoni, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and the Seychelles, during the launching ceremony.  

“The online discussions, she added, aim to bring in partners from the western Indian Ocean Islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, because no nation can recover alone. We must have a community-of-nations-approach to achieve sustainable development.”  

The Ministery for Agro-industry and Food Security will implement activities through the Food and Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (FAREI). The Ministry, FAREI, the PAGE team and the United Nations system will also collaborate with other ministries, international development partners, civil society and the private sector to promote national and regional knowledge sharing and to develop joint initiatives on multisectoral recovery that promote resilience, social inclusion and sustainability. These activities will include regional collaboration between Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros and of the Reunion Island. 

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, the team will organize regular events, starting with a first exchange on the elements of a Green Recovery supported under the PAGE project in Mauritius (on June 18), followed by a series of regular meetings on specific themes related to a green recovery (e.g., how to finance recovery and climate change adaptation, how to promote multi-stakeholder participation, or how to link a green recovery with long-term climate action). In tandem, development partners will coordinate the policy and programmatic support to the Government. 

"Our investment is as much institutional as it is personal," said the Minister of Agro Industry and Food Security, the Honorable Maneesh Gobin. “I am very pleased with the support provided by the United Nations, in response to the vision I set out a little over a year ago, in the midst of the global COVID-19 crisis, which was that we needed to get organized to produce more of what we consume and to consume what we produce." 

South Africa

• PAGE South Africa, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and GIZ, is hosting a virtual “Green jobs for a better future” dialogue series, ongoing from 15 April until 10 June 2021.

Guatemala

• PAGE has been acknowledged in Guatemala's UN Country Team 2020 Results Report (p 20), highlighting PAGE's support for the Environmental Fiscal Strategy through the promotion of transparent and effective use of municipal environmental funds, and in supporting the Ministry of Public Finance to identify fiscal mechanisms that can be used to access green financing.

Mauritius

• The ILO’s Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) programme, with funding by PAGE, has continued support to the National Production and Competitiveness Council by rolling out COVID-19 recovery training to participating enterprises. Previous trainings by SCORE have focused on optimizing the efficiency, cleaner productivity and competitiveness of SMEs through improved workplace cooperation.

Uruguay

• A Sustainable Entrepreneurship Training programme developed with PAGE, GIZ and the youth foundation DESEM has been featured in national media — highlighting the progress in-depth on the 60-person sustainable entrepreneurship course ongoing in Uruguay. Read the story.

Kyrgyz Republic

• On 24 April, a Youth Climate Dialogue took place in Bishkek, in an interactive format with more than 100 young participants. The event informed young people on how to learn more about climate change and get involved in climate processes at the national and global levels.

Kyrgyz Republic & Kazakhstan 

• A peer learning event between the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan was held on 30 April, bringing together experts to review and discuss policy developments in each country related to environmental education and public awareness — including financing for eco-oriented education and improving the ecological culture of the population.

Kazakhstan

• A two-day training was held on Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) from 28- 29 April, with 56 participants from government and civil society. This event is the 2nd in a 3-part training series.