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Jiangsu, China, 26-28 June 2018 – PAGE, together with the Policy Research Center for Environment & Economy and the Jiangsu International Environmental Development Center held a workshop to lay the groundwork for developing a coalition of green industrial parks in Jiangsu.

The workshop brought together green industrial park policymakers, park administrators, and representatives from the private sector, NGOs and academia. The consultations held during the workshop advanced planning for the establishment of the upcoming PAGE Coalition of Green Industrial Parks. Trainings were provided on crosscutting issues, such as on water management and green finance.

Once established, the PAGE Coalition of Green Industrial Parks will support the broader efforts of PAGE and Jiangsu Province towards a green industry transition. As one of China’s major industrial powerhouses, Jiangsu is establishing itself as a leader on green industry and is setting best practice for greening industrial parks in China.

June 14, Port Louis, Mauritius - The budget speech delivered by the Prime Minister of Mauritius last month reveals the key axes on which his government believes will be critical for transforming Mauritius into a high-income country. The 2018-2019 national budget, entitled Pursuing our Transformative Journey, follows a decidedly green economic model; that is, one that emphasizes strategies that promote inclusiveness and environmental protection as a means for achieving economic growth. At the centre of several of these strategies are key recommendations and insights that are consistent with PAGE’s green economy analyses and assessments.

Subsistence allowances:

Under the Mauritius Marshall Plan for Poverty – a plan that PAGE contributed to developing – a Social Register was developed to indentfy individuals vulnerable to falling into extreme poverty. Under the 2018-2019 budget, the Prime Minister announced that 6,400 individuals who are on the Social Register will receive a monthly subsistence allowance. The government’s decision to provide subsistence payments to individuals on the Social Register is a continuation of a policy embarked upon in the 2017-2018 national budget.

Sheltered Farming Scheme

The government intends to provide marketing, technical and financial assistance to set up 100 farms over the next two years under a Sheltered Farming Scheme. This assistance will be given by the Economic Development Board to new ‘agripreneurs’ to market their products both domestically and abroad. The Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI) will provide technical assistance and mentoring to young graduates and SMEs that are developing agri-projects. Financial assistance from the government will come in the form of access to finance from the Development Bank of Mauritius and Maubkan at a discounted rate, while all income derived from these projects will be exempted from tax for the first 8 years. These three forms of assistance are consistent with recommendations made in the country’s PAGE supported Green Economy Assessment regarding linking sustainable agriculture producers to the markets, investing in research and extension for smart agriculture and developing incentives for conversion of land from conventional to sustainable agriculture.

Other budgetary measures

The government aims to encourage the emergence of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with the introduction of a Certification Scheme to provide technical assistance to SMEs and cooperatives for accreditation to international standards and certifications. As recommended in the Green Economy Assessment, participation in international standards regimes, such as ISO standards, is important to increase the competitiveness of Mauritius’ companies for export opportunities.

Recycling

Financial incentives will be provided to manufacturers to promote the recycling of water bottles. Waste management was identified as an influential sector for greening Mauritius’ economy in the green economy assessment. PAGE has supported policymakers in this sector by conducting an Industrial Waste Assessment that recommends actions for waste management.

Mauritius and PAGE

Mauritius joined the PAGE partnership in 2014 to support the country’s ambition to become an inclusive high-income country by 2030. At the request of the government, PAGE supported a Green Economy Assessment to inform possible pathways for Mauritius’ transition to a green economy. This study examined greening initiatives and opportunities in seven key sectors of the Mauritius economy, such as agriculture, manufacturing and waste, while suggesting potential actions for a green economy transition. 

29-31 May 2018, Diamniadio, Senegal -- From 29-31 May 2018, Senegal held the 3rd edition of its National Conference on Sustainable Development, with the theme of “Sustainable and Healthy Exploitation and Management of Gas and Oil Resources” in the city of Diamniadio.

As considerable oil and gas deposits have been discovered in Senegal in recent years, developing strategies and mechanisms for sustainable management of oil and gas resources is critical to Senegal’s energy independence and the safeguarding of its population and environment.

The conference gathered experts from the Senegalese government, stakeholders from the private sector and civil society, and international experts from the Netherlands and Ghana, among others. The conference featured discussions on the current state of hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation in Senegal, potential adverse environmental and social impacts, and strategies for minimizing such impacts.

The conference focused on the findings of a scientific commission that conducted research on “Governance of oil and gas exploration and exploitation” and “Environmental impacts linked to the oil and gas sectors”. The research notably built on a report conducted by PAGE on how to manage oil and gas revenue in order to promote sustainable development, which is cited as a reference document for the scientific commission’s work. The report also addressed the potential establishment of a National Fund for Monitoring, Preventing and Combating Pollution and Nuisance in the Oil and Gas Sector.

Following the presentation of the findings from the scientific commission, various national and international experts provided inputs, and three workshops were organized in order to deepen the discussions.

The outcome of the conference was the sharing of recommendations pertaining to various themes identified as essential to the sustainable management of oil and gas resources. The recommendations notably dealt with environmental impact assessments and corporate social responsibility; the development of a management framework to deal with pollution and man-made disaster risks; information, education and training on environmental risks; and the institutional, legal and financial frameworks relevant to the oil and gas sector.

This conference served as an important milestone for Senegal’s mitigation of hydrocarbon related risks and its ambitions for an environmentally resilient and prosperous future.

Mauritius, 9-11 May 2018– From 9th to 11th May, the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), together with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in Mauritius jointly organized a Green Economy Forum. Participants from government institutions, the private sector, training institutions, and civil society organizations gathered in Mauritius to promote the acceleration of inclusive and green economic growth for the country. 

The objectives of the Green Economy Forum include sharing latest developments and initiatives related to Mauritius’ green economy transition, and increasing the competences of stakeholders in the Mauritius Green Bonds Market. It also promotes knowledge sharing on policy formulation and green economy action. 

At the opening session, Sunil Benimadhu, the Chief Executive of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius says “It is in the best interest of Mauritius as a small island economy to be at the forefront of regional and global action to mitigation & adapt to climate change”.

Cynthia Samuel Olonjuwon, the Regional Director of International Labour Organization (ILO) in Mauritius emphasizes that “the future that we want can only be possible if we use our resources efficiently".

26 April 2018, Montevideo, Uruguay – "A nice brochure is not enough to make people separate their garbage. You will need a sustained effort and the right incentives to make change” exclaimed María Laura Rodríguez, Economics, Communications and Environmental Manager at the concluding discussion of a workshop held on 26 April in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The workshop was organized as part of the country’s inclusive green economy capacity building effort that is shaping up in collaboration with the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE). The country joined PAGE in 2017. As project work streams are concretizing their scope and goals, PAGE and government counterparts initiated a dialogue early on in the project to analyze what skills and knowledge related to the green transition need to be strengthened.

In particular, the workshop aimed at identifying priority inclusive green economy learning needs in public, private and civil society sectors as well as academia. It also started a discussion on the competency framework to guide more structured analysis later on. The competency framework serves to differentiate skills in varying competency areas, such as project management, stakeholder involvement and technical execution of tasks.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our country. We have a unique support mechanism over multiple years in PAGE. Let’s be ambitious and envision now where we want to be at the end of this project!” emphasized Pablo Montes, National Coordinator for PAGE, in front of the 42 participants at the start of the workshop.

“The approach to build capacity in Uruguay is to compose a strategic, multi-year programme informed by the vision and identified needs we discuss early on. The resulting interventions will then take us where we want to go in terms of inclusive green economy skills and knowledge, step by step, like a stairway” explains Giuliano Montanari, Focal Point for Uruguay at the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and co-facilitator at the workshop.

19 April 2018, Lima, Peru - In order to promote green employment, especially among young people and vulnerable populations, the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion (MTPE) of Peru is preparing a National Green Jobs Plan with the support of PAGE.

To further this goal, a "National Forum for the promotion of green jobs in Peru", was held in Lima this week. The head of the MTPE, Christian Sanchez, said that this plan has been updated and adjusted to leverage global trends and implement best practices, as well as meet international committments, including Agenda 2030, the Paris Agreement, and OECD accession process.

Philippe Vanhuynegem, director of the ILO Office for the Andean Countries, commended the plan as an essential tool for true green growth, which reconciles economic development with a more efficient use of natural resources and greater social equity. "A green economy can generate more and better jobs. It's an opportunity, but you have to be prepared," he added.

The Ambassador of the European Union, Diego Mellado, agreed that in order to continue doing business and generating jobs, Peru must pivot towards more sustainable consuming and producing. "The transformation is already underway among global companies and consumers, and Peru must be ready for this scenario," he insisted.

Green employment is a labour market in which all employment is decent, and in which jobs contribute to a reduction of energy use and raw material consumption, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste and pollution, protect and restore ecosystems, and enable the adaptation of companies and communities to climate change.

"A transition to green jobs involves developing policies that ensure that those who may be adversely affected, especially the younger population, are protected through retraining opportunities, adequate social protection and a more relevant education," said Vanhuynegem.

With this in mind, the MTPE, the Regional Employment and Employment Promotion Offices and PAGE prepared four Regional Youth Employment Plans 2016-2021 in the regions of Arequipa, Piura, La Libertad and Cajamarca. Minister Sánchez stressed that these public policies are important management tools aimed at promoting decent employment among the youth population.

The "National Forum for the Promotion of Green Jobs in Peru" was organized by the MTPE and PAGE, with the support of SOCIEUX + of the European Union, in order to obtain better inputs for the design of the National Plan and to position green growth as a engine to generate decent employment and social inclusion. These efforts are part of the National Green Growth Strategy being developed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of the Environment.

Versión español

Accra, Ghana 28 March 2018 – In Ghana, the national bank is in the process of developing sustainable banking principles – that is, a set of rules that would require financial institutions to develop a management approach that balances the social and environmental risks with profit opportunities.

The move takes place in a context of significant leadership by the Ghanaian government on putting into place green economic policies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the country’s ambitions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It is now becoming evident that these efforts are piquing the interest of the private sector, which is recognizing that business models that promote environmental and social well-being have enormous potential to thrive in Ghana.

Now, the Government and the private sector are working together to build to a sustainable financial system; exemplifying the importance of multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral action towards green economy. With support from the IFC and the Government of Switzerland, the Bank of Ghana has already set seven principles to guide all banking activities. Additionally, private sector stakeholders have identified five sectors of the Ghanaian economy that will be targeted for improved environmental and social governance: manufacturing, energy and power, construction and real estate, mining, oil and gas, and agriculture and forestry. 

To understand how best to apply sustainable banking principles in these five priority sectors, the Bank of Ghana hosted a stakeholder consultation on March 28 in Accra. Representatives from the Bank of Ghana, Ghana Association of Bankers, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Finance, banking institutions, businesses, academia and international organizations attended the consultation.  

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is aiming to identify the gaps in the policy environment that, once filled, would drive demand for socially and environmentally sustainable banking services. To do this, and to complement the sustainable banking principles, PAGE is collaborating with the UN Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) to undertake a green finance study in Ghana. The PAGE-supported study will assess the level of integration of sustainability in the business sector’s operations, value chains and products and services in Ghana, and the taxonomies, frameworks, capacities, assessment methodologies and practices, structures and information disclosures available or needed for the identification and scaling up of green finance opportunities.

Representatives from PAGE and UNEP FI participated in the stakeholder consultations and presented the aims of the green finance study.

The forthcoming study will support the implementation of the Sustainable Banking Principles, particularly Principle 1 which requires banks to work with their clients to identify, measure, mitigate and monitor environmental and social risks.