Copenhagen, Denmark 7-18 December 2009 - United Nations Climate Change Conference, All eyes will be on Copenhagen this December to see if a comprehensive climate change agreement will be signed by all parties. According to Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the four essential points for an international agreement in Copenhagen are: 1.) How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases? 2.) How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions? 3.) How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed? 4.) How is that money going to be managed? For more information please visit the COP 15 website.
Copenhagen, Denmark 7 December 2009 - Towards Green Growth and Green Innovation, The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15) could be a giant leap towards transforming the global economy and societies around the world into greener and more sustainable ones. In the hopes of contributing to the success of COP15, JST and JICA are hosting a side-event symposium which helps the conference participants to visualize concrete measures for achieving emissions reductions and economic growth, which are both possible through environmental science and technology cooperation between developed and developing countries.
For more information please click here.
Bangkok, Thailand 28 September - 9 October 2009 Government delegates embarked Monday on the penultimate round of climate change negotiations ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, at which a comprehensive international climate change deal is to be sealed . Negotiations are expected to focus on five elements: adaptation action, REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries), technology, capacity building, and institutional arrangements for finance. For more information please click here
Manila, Philippines 9-11 September 2009The International Conference on Green Industry in Asia, entitled Managing the transition to resource efficient and low carbon industries recently held in Manila was organized by UNIDO, UNEP, ILO and ESCAP. Conference participants discussed: policies and strategies; regulatory and institutional frameworks; new business opportunities as well as the support services that would be required by industry to shift to more sustainable patterns of production that would foster resource-efficient low-carbon economies. The conference was concluded by the adoption of the non-binding Manila Declaration on Green Industry in Asia. In addition, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also confirmed that the Philippines is developing a new national Green Growth strategy. For more information click here
Kanchanaburi, Thailand 31 August - 5 September 2009 - ASEAN ToT Green Growth Capacity Development Seminar,Navigating towards a sustainable development path and adapting to climate change are enormous tasks that can appear beyond the capacity of many countries. In this light, there has been an increasing request for capacity development assistance from governments in the region. To meet such needs ESCAP in partnership with the Regional Helpdesk on SCP in Asia and the Pacific and with generous support from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has prepared a unique training package for Green Growth for ASEAN Government Officials. Building on the success of last months training, ESCAP has taken steps to include a session on policy tools aimed at fostering low-carbon development. Cick here for more information.
Paris July 2009
- OECD Declaration on Green Growth. The OECD has issued a declaration on Green Growth at its annual ministerial meeting in Paris. The organisation pledged to strengthen their efforts to pursue Green Growth strategies as part of the response to the current crisis and beyond, acknowledging that “green” and “growth” can go hand-in-hand.Click to access a copy of the OECD declaration on Green Growth.
Bangkok July 2009 -ESCAP's Green GrowthCapacity Development Team has finalised the first drafts of the Green Growth training of trainers toolkit. The toolkit was unveiled at the first training of the trainers seminar in late June, in Bangkok, Thailand. Answering to requests from regional governments, the team is currently expanding on the trining tool kit to prepare for additional seminars. In addition, the team is cooperating with partners and clients to create e-learning modules of the training material. Click to access the capacit development page with updated brochure and PDF versions of the training modules.
United Kingdom 27-29 October 2009 – The international conference - Sustainable Innovation 09 - provides a platform to discuss future opportunities and challenges related to the design, development and commercialization of low-carbon innovation, technologies, products and services. Click to access their web site.
In order to internalize green economic growth, sustainability concerns must be integrated into countries’ development strategy. To that end, the ESCAP team has decided to roll out a Green Growth Training of Trainers capacity development initiative that aims to involve country representatives on a cross ministerial level. The development effort will take off in 2009 and is generously supported by Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Read more details here.
The concept of cradle to cradle was invented by Dr. Michael Braungart. The German professor is using the C2C concept to help large corporations design closed loop material flows, through which it becomes possible to minimize or eliminate waste and save valuable resources. Click to read the article about C2C.
The President of the Republic of South Korea (ROK) has pledged his support for Low Carbon, Green Growth as the core of the Republic’s new vision. As addressed on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the republic of Korea, the president believes that green growth will enable Korea to take a lead in the direction of a low carbon society. Click to access the English version of the statement.
Payment for Ecosystem Services Ecosystems provide us with numerous invaluable services ranging from the provision of tangible benefits such as timber, wood, water purification and fish breeding grounds, to less tangible but crucial services such as bio-diversity banks and forests for recreation and spiritual well-being. The public and private sectors are realizing the importance of a healthy environment for sustained profit and well-being.
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Bangkok December 10 2007:UN ESCAP had the very special honour of receiving the Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Ban Ki-moon. During speeches in the morning and afternoon, Read their speeches here.
To assist the capacity development of policy and decision makers, UNESCAP is focusing on the following paths as the most important policy measures to enhance Green Growth:
What is Green Growth? Green Growth is a policy focus for the Asia and Pacific region that emphasizes environmentally sustainable economic progress to foster low-carbon, socially inclusive development.
Where is Green Growth? Green Growth is a globally relevant approach to sustainable economic growth that was developed in Asia. It is impeartive that countries in the Asia and Pacific region continue their economic growth to alleive poverty and to achive social progress. However, increased environmental degradation, climate change and diminishing natural resources require an unconventional approach to support the export-driven economic activities of the region.
Why Green Growth?
The Asia and Pacific region has been at the forefront of the 21st century surge in economic growth, a situation driven primarily by exports and which has led to expanded production requirements needed to fuel an ever increasing amount of trade. This has significantly compounded the environmental carrying capacity pressures of many countries in the region. These countries are now shouldering an increasingly greater share of regional and global environmental production-related burdens. Coupled with evolving production patterns, these impacts are driving changes in consumption patterns in these countries and policies are needed to ensure that these developments will be environmentally sustainable. The past axiom of “grow first, clean up later”, can not apply in a region that has such a limited natural resource base and a rapidly growing population directly dependent on natural resources. In light of the recent fuel, food and financial crisis is is now imperative for countries in the region to reassess their development paths.
How to Achieve Green Growth? In order to achieve Green Growth it is crucial to change development approaches from ‘grow first, clean up later’ to a more responsible long-term attitude. Governments can promote this by encouraging economic growth with an emphasis on environmental and social concerns.
Sustainable Livelihoods Approach: The Social Link to Green Growth
UNESCAP’s Green Growth Programme has evolved to emphasize the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), a rights-based approach that recognizes the poor as a key stakeholder in the development process. Green Growth encourages the use of participatory assessments which identify the main constraints, opportunities and concerns faced by the poor and to include them into the policy planning and implementation cycle.The SLA supports vulnerable communities by providing pro-poor social services and by creating an enabling environment for sustainable development.
The concept of sustainable livelihoods is used by some as a replacement term for sustainable employment and work in the formal and informal economies with reference to a person’s capacity to maintain and enhance their capability and assets both now and in the future, while not undermining the natural resource base. Adopting this approach allows Green Growth to work towards win-win solutions: addressing the environment in ways which enhance opportunities for the poor to participate more fully in society and thus improving their quality of life. For more information on the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach please click here..
