The United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) and the UNU Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) have jointly developed this in-depth analysis to draw best practices and uncover the constraints experienced by UN Resident Coordinators (UNRCs) in relation to the Triple Planetary Crisis: nature, climate change, pollution.
Partnering with the UN Development Coordination Office, the analysis comes as a result of a deep dive with UNRCs and inputs that include more than 20 UN entities and over 100 UN staff within its preparation, execution, and follow-up. The purpose of the deep dive was to assess the multidimensional impact of the nature-climate-pollution crisis and identify tools and mechanisms that UN Country Teams can use to support a multidisciplinary approach to tackling the associated challenges at the country level.
The report provides ten recommendations for transformative change and overarching considerations for the future — and within it, PAGE is recognized as a mechanism working “closely with RCs to make economic recovery planning a steppingstone for green and inclusive economic transformation to address the root causes of the Triple Planetary Crisis”.
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.
With technical assistance from PAGE, a local-level training course, targeting technical teams from the country's municipalities, launched in September. ‘Promoting Green and Inclusive Economy’ is geared towards subnational government teams linked to Tourism, Environmental Management and Development. More than 100 individuals are participating thus far and speakers have included the Acting Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Walter Verri; the Minister of Environment, Adrián Peña; the General Coordinator of Decentralization and Institutional Strengthening of the Planning and Budget Office, Guzmán Ifrán, and UNDP Resident Representative, Stefan Liller.
The course continues into October and will educate participants on the conceptual aspects of IGE, with concrete examples at the subnational level; the formulation of project profiles, opportunities for the incorporation of technologies for greening; and the improvement of subnational services. Additionally, the course will cover the Sustainable Development Goals, sustainable mobility, circular economy, sustainable public procurement.
The main objectives of the training include capacity for developing proposals to improve subnational management in line with IGE; the development of concrete projects with actions for the greening of subnational management and/or specific actions to promote local IGE; to have a minimum of 3 projects that include technological incorporation for improving subnational processes and/or services that contribute to IGE; and to have a portfolio of project profiles that can then be submitted to different funding sources.
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.
PAGE Green Recovery activities are officially in progress in Mauritius with Operation COSHARE (COVID-19 Occupational Health and Safety and Resource Efficiency). With PAGE, Operation COSHARE is jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism, the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council (NPCC) and the Tourism Authority (TA).
In efforts to address challenges brought on by the pandemic within the local tourism industry, Operation COSHARE is designed to enhance the capacity of employees in the sector through the promotion of health standards, protocols and aligning Mauritius as a safe destination for travelers. Targeting those working in accommodations, restaurants, the boating industry, taxis, and Destination Management Companies, the overall objective is to position Mauritius as a safe and environmentally sustainable tourist destination, attracting foreign visitors to make Mauritius their destination of choice — overall helping the industry recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.
Operation COSHARE will accompany each participating organization in the tourism and hospitality sector to aid them in adhering to the highest benchmarks related to sanitary measures.
The programme officially launched on 2 September 2021 with the Implementation Agreement signed by the NPCC and the Tourism Authority. The event was also covered by national and local media through coverage in newspapers and on national television.
Learn More about Operation COSHARE:
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.
Peru
Indonesia and India
Senegal
Mauritius
South Africa
Held from 21-23 July, the inaugural Ghana Waste Fair brought together more than 300 stakeholders to share and discuss innovative ideas to promote sustainable waste management in the country. Supported through PAGE and led by UNDP, with the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership and the Waste Recovery Platform, the two-day event spanned participants from the private sector, civil society, and government, including from the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), research and academic institutions. With over 50 exhibitors, topics of discussion included MSME financing and sustainable finance, policy design, and programmatic and technical solutions to waste management challenges in the country.
The fair also hosted business clinics, with more than 100 MSMEs participating, to foster capacity-building in areas such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and market valuation and analysis, marketing and communication strategies, product design, business proposal development, how to pitch for business funding support.
Key actors in the waste value chain underscored the need for a policy intervention to support innovation in the waste management ecosystems that will motivate more people and companies to find innovative solutions for sustainable waste management and promote circular economy.
‘’Whilst we do our best as individuals and companies to solve the waste problem through our innovations, government should incentivize us with tax exemptions and other support to enable us scale up for a deepened impact’’, noted panelist Matilda Payne Boakye-Ansah, Founder of MH Couture and Extreme Upcycle.
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.
Following a successful 2020 edition, PAGE & South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) are hosting the 2021 Driving Force for Change II Youth Challenge. The Challenge is an opportunity for young entrepreneurs and green innovators to further develop early-stage entrepreneurship skills and competencies aiming to support the country’s green economy development and create decent jobs for youth.
The categories include: Best Greening of Manufacturing Sector SME (Resource Efficiency: water, energy); Best Woman Entrepreneur; Most Innovative Business Entrepreneur; Best Circular Economy - symbiosis / Integrated Waste Management - recycling SME; Most Innovative Ecosystem Service SME; Most Innovative Agriculture or agro-processing SME; Eco-Tourism; and Best Greening of Manufacturing Sector.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all economic sectors are welcome to participate, provided their business plans are economically viable and driven by environmentally sound and socially inclusive intentions. Entrepreneurs must be between 18 and 34 years of age and already running a small or medium-sized business in South Africa.
The first edition was created last year as a means to address youth unemployment through support to green entrepreneurship and formal and growth-oriented young entrepreneurs. A total of 272 applications were received and 13 young entrepreneurs were successfully awarded with finance, technical assistance and business development support.
The deadline for applications is 15 September 2021.
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.
Kicking off its third edition, submissions for the Uruguay Circular Award are now open until August 16. The annual awards recognize the efforts of enterprises, institutions, associations and cooperatives that showcase a circular economy transformation. The award ceremony will be held on October 27, 2021 and all details will be published on the Uruguay Circular website.
The Uruguay Circular 2021 programme is an initiative organized by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, the Ministry of Environment, the National Development Agency, PAGE Uruguay and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, with the support of the Swiss Embassy in Uruguay, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), GEF (Global Environment Facility), GCF (Green Climate Fund).
This year’s official categories include:
The application must be made through the application system via the ANDE Portal here.
Recognition that generates opportunities
Past winners from previous Uruguay Circular editions have stressed that the award and subsequent visibility of their projects allowed them to generate new alliances and, in some cases, new business opportunities.
Cristian Amacoria, from Naturplus, 2020 winner in the MSME category, says: "For us, receiving the Uruguay Circular Award was very important. It opened many doors, including the possibility to show our work and to let society know what we are doing". Naturplus is a company that recycles out of use tyres. You can learn more about Naturplus here.
From Hifa Biomateriales, Felipe Machado, winner in the Entrepreneurship category in 2020, "When we won the award we were amazed". Also, press media contacted us, and we had commercial approaches too". Hifa uses biotechnology and design to generate biomaterials from edible fungi and agro-industrial waste. You can learn more about Hifa Biomaterials here.
"It was crucial for us to receive the Uruguay Circular Award. It ratified the vision we had ten years ago when we started recycling", says Pablo Pérez, from Granja Don Pablo, winner in the Large Business category. The project developed at Granja Don Pablo, a dairy farm, achieves complete circularity of the processes and a condition of "zero waste" released into the environment. Projects like Granja Don Pablo, promote sustainable development production and the transition towards the circular economy in traditional agro-industries. You can learn more about the work of Granja Don Pablo here.
From the Centro Tecnológico de Pástico (CTPlas), winner in the Cooperatives and other associations category (2020), Agustín Tassani says: "We saw the opportunity to work together with other organizations in the concept of circular economy". This cooperation seeks to generate solutions to post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste, promoting the circular economy in the sector towards socially, economically and environmentally sustainable management. Learn more about “+Circular (CTPlas)” here.
Beatríz Alonso, from Ánima, winner in the Educational Institutions category (2020), says that Project "Ánima Clasifica" was an idea that arises from the students. Receiving the award was an important recognition, allowing Ánima to continue with further projects in the future. Learn more about Ánima Clasifica project here.
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.
A milestone for PAGE Morocco, a first Inception Meeting was held virtually on 29 July, bringing together key ministries and national agencies, PAGE agencies and key stakeholders to officially begin strategic work in the country. This is the first of several virtual inception activities to identify needs and demands for PAGE Morocco.
Overall, PAGE inception activities in Morocco will include consultations between PAGE agencies, representatives of government and key stakeholders to identify needs and demands, and secure national engagement and ownership for the PAGE partnership; joint discussions between PAGE partners and the national authorities to jointly discuss the scope of the inception phase, and initiate dialogue with a long-term perspective; and identifying programmes and ongoing initiatives in Morocco in the area of green economy, climate change and related issues.
In 2019, Morocco joined PAGE together with Thailand. Morocco identified upon joining the potential areas for assistance by PAGE including:
• Initiating policy and fiscal reforms that align with some or all of the strategic areas identified in the second challenge area of the SNDD;
• Strengthening the national planning process to ensure continued alignment with green economic principles;
• Engagement with various sectors and regions identified in the SNDD to support coherent green economy policy reform;
• Capacity development of public sector employees, civil society organizations and private sector to enhance efforts to establish an inclusive and sustainable economy.
• Reconciling modernization of the agricultural and fishery sector and requirements of sustainable development;
• Improving the value of forests to ensure their sustainable management; • Including industrial acceleration in a green economy trajectory;
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
On the 11th of June 2021, the first meeting of the PAGE Economic Policy Advisory Group took place virtually to discuss ways to strengthen the Partnership’s support on economics to its partner countries. With its new phase starting in 2021, under the 2030 Strategy, PAGE has raised ambitions in delivering transformative results for the whole economy and the economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, paying special attention to shifting transformational levers, while keeping an eye on fairness and social justice. As a step in delivering on this, the PAGE Economic Policy Advisory Group — composed of economists from PAGE agencies and UN Resident Coordinators’ offices — met with PAGE country project coordinators and lead UN agency focal points from Argentina, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Morocco.
This deep-dive discussion focused on three main themes: economic policies for 1) greening public spending and fiscal space; 2) addressing poverty gaps and inequalities; and 3) supporting a Just Transition. The discussion centred on pivotal and available tools/initiatives as well as opportunities, challenges, and potential entry points for future PAGE support to countries in these areas.
The discussion showed there is high demand from partner countries to receive further support across several key areas: Firstly, there is a need to connect economic evidence-based analytical work, such as data observatories and modelling, to actionable policy support in order to provide a framing lens for future policy design. This also can help raise the ambition and action for a green and inclusive economic transformation, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, there is a unique opportunity to make the UN a major partner in greening the economic recovery and planning by providing partner countries with analytical tools for robust policy analysis and engaging more strongly with line ministries leading economy, finance and development issues. Next, there is a need to adapt policy responses to specific country contexts when trying to bridge the poverty gaps and address inequalities through green economic policies, paying special attention to the most vulnerable groups. Fourth, technical support to partner countries is needed to influence the labour market, specifically focused on social protection, skills and human capital development and financing to ensure that the transition towards a green economy is just.
This rich discussion was the first step for the PAGE Economic Policy Advisory Group to begin supporting interested PAGE countries in receiving further support on developing and implementing economic policies for greening public spending and the fiscal space, addressing poverty gaps and inequalities, and supporting a Just Transition in the context of a green economy.
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."
Held on 9 July 2021, Green Recoveries for a Job-Rich Future brought together leaders from the United Nations and national governments to discuss the realities of linking COVID-19 recovery with long-term sustainable development in the context of green job growth.
The conversation between the panelists (Guy Ryder, Director-General, ILO; Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP; H.E. Elizabeth Thompson, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary, Barbados; Dr. Febrio Nathan Kacaribu, Head of Fiscal Policy Agency, Ministry of Finance, Indonesia; and Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany) broadly touched on sectoral potential, green finance and the importance of ensuring a just transition.
The discussion focused on grasping the opportunity to turn economic recovery into economic transformation — building resilient economies that account for planet and people. Each speaker noted the crucial need to make this green economy transformation just and for the whole society, noting the need to understand the connections of current global crises. “We need to look on the big scale and with appropriate width at the big issues that we have to deal with,” said Guy Ryder. “If we try to compartmentalize the challenges, we will get it wrong.”
The Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter noted that global partnerships are a key component to moving beyond the current crisis to a society-wide sustainable future.
“I want to emphasize [that] the partnership approach is particularly important because tasks this complex can only be managed in a strong team,” Schwarzelühr-Sutter said. “Everyone contributes their expertise and together we can overcome fragmented, siloed approaches.” Continuing, “We need to share best practices worldwide and PAGE is a role model in this respect.”
In practical terms, each country brought examples relating to energy transitions, national engagement and the challenges in financing. As building the circular economy is a central component to green recovery in Barbados, Ambassador Thompson noted that preparing micro-businesses — the most prominent in the Caribbean region — for a post-COVID environment is crucial, particularly in light of a more digitized world. “One has to work with citizen engagement and community engagement to get them on board with new practices and behaviors, and to understand the role that individuals and communities will play in the transition process,” Thompson said.
Dr. Febrio Kacaribu, Head of Fiscal Policy Agency, Indonesia similarly called out the importance of national engagement for an inclusive transition. Noting that Indonesia relies heavily on coal, Kacaribu stressed that conversations between government and industry are essential to ensure success.
“How we transition out — this is a very practical, ‘reality check’ question. We have to talk to industry because the cost is going to be distributed,” Kacaribu said. “These are political decisions and it has to be made together as a country.”
Though noting that each country will have different circumstances, each will face similar choices. “We need to ensure [that] the transition path — it not only has to be just, it has to be affordable.”
In Germany’s own ambitious plans for carbon neutrality by 2045, it has similarly laid out plans to support business and industry during the transition period. Schwarzelühr-Sutter noted that the German government will carry some of the financial burden of the transition within the energy sector: “We attach great importance to the social balance in this area.”
In closing, Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director, captured the spirit of the discussion: “We are speaking about the green economy but maybe we should broaden it, '' Andersen said. “We should talk about the green society. We should understand that the future that we reach for has to be for everyone.”
Read more about the background of this event
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.
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.
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.
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.
Utilising the Targeted Scenario Analysis (TSA) methodology developed by UNDP, this study assesses the impact of two management scenarios within Ecuador’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector (ASGM). Engaging with stakeholders from the private and public sector, the study aims to help decision-makers design and implement sustainable policies that incorporate the value of ecosystem services. The results show the possibility for significant gains for artisanal miners, processing plants, laboratories and the state if miners sell their ore to small-scale mining plants that are supported and strengthened with appropriate, mercury-free processes.
Currently, about 100,000 people depend on Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Ecuador and ASGM produces 85% of Ecuadorian gold with an estimated annual value of USD 300,000,000. The TSA estimates the social and economic gains or losses resulting from continuing current practices (i.e. the business as usual scenario-BAU), which cause a high environmental impact compared to a more sustainable path that promotes socially and environmentally responsible practices. This alternative path is termed responsible mineral processing (RMP).
The proposed RMP scenario promotes a change in the mineral processing model, where processing plants are instrumental in increasing profits over ten years. Within the RMP scenario, the avoided costs due to Mercury contamination during the gold recuperation process could be up to USD 80,000,000 per year. This includes between USD 25,000 - USD 40,000 increase per year for small and medium-scale artisanal miners; USD 134,000 increase per year on average for mineral processing plants; and up to USD 65,000 increase per year per plant in royalties for the State.
PAGE supported TSAs are part of a broader UNDP effort to use economic valuation to advance the mainstreaming of sustainable development policies. Lessons learned from the direct support of PAGE are being used to also to influence and inform additional TSAs financed by UNDP-managed GEF projects including some PAGE countries. In 2021, PAGE is additionally supporting TSAs in Paraguay on livestock/beef; in Thailand on Illegal Wildlife Trade; and in Kazakhstan on Forestry.