– to stay relevant, as Green Economy ‘confab’ opens in Brazil

By Svetlana Marshall in Brazil

UNITED Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative to Brazil, Katyna Argueta has urged countries within Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance productivity, inclusion and resilience, if they want to be considered among the world’s middle-class.

She made the call while addressing regional leaders during the opening of the 2019 Americas Regional Ministerial Conference on Green Economy in Fortaleza, Brazil on Monday.
Argueta, in her frank discourse at the Ceara Events Centre, said Latin America and the Caribbean is a middle-income region but not necessarily a middle-class society. To achieve such a status, she said, countries must enhance productivity, inclusion and resilience.
“We must work on paving these three lanes, mindful that this requires effective governance as a precondition. There are many factors that explain poor outcomes: Low quality of education, low capacity in local governments, poor service delivery, the degradation of natural resources, and others. Nevertheless, the underlying determinant of those factors is always related to ineffective governance,” Argueta explained.

In the Region of the Americas, she said, green economy has the potential to foster productivity, enhance social inclusion and improve human welfare, in addition to the enhancement of systemic resilience. However, she said its full potential can only be achieved if the necessary policies and regulatory frameworks are in place.

“There is another crucial element for ensuring that green economy could have a significant positive impact in our societies. As you might know, the 2030 Agenda is our aspirational line of sight. Thus, transition to a green economy model must be fully in line with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and, therefore, must be sought for the benefit of all,” the UNDP Resident Representative added.

‘GREEN’ IS THE FUTURE
Echoing the sentiments of UN Secretary-General, Argueta said Green Economy is the future, but it is must be to the benefit of all.

UNDP Assistant Representative, Maristela Marques Baioni, who addressed the forum on behalf of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), said South-South Cooperation is an important mechanism that can help countries address challenges of green growth through partnership and collaboration on priority areas.

“The Global South-South Development Expo 2016 in Dubai addressed green technology transfer and green economies among the main themes. In the framework of the World Green Economy Summit 2018 in Dubai, UAE, UNOSSC organised the High-level Ministerial Meeting on South-South Cooperation in Green Economy for Agricultural Development and Enhanced Food Security, which encouraged countries to adopt green economy as strategic element for protecting the natural resources and environment and to utilize modern technologies and ICT to address challenges of sustainable development, especially for green economy development and climate change,” Baioni pointed out.

She said the UNOSSC continues to contribute to the transition of Southern countries to green economies through specialisd South-South cooperation funds. “UNOSSC is the Fund Manager and Secretariat of the Board of Directors of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, with a project portfolio that encompasses 31 projects across Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. The India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) is a remarkable example of cooperation among three developing countries and also a pioneering initiative to implement South-South cooperation for the benefit of other Southern countries in partnership with the United Nations system,” the UNDP Assistant Resident Representative explained.

According to her, the Green Economy Conference presents an ideal platform for the presentation of concrete green economy solutions and innovative green technologies that have proven effective.

Addressing the forum on behalf of the Chairman of the World Green Economy Organisation, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Edem Bakhshish – the Chief of UNOSSC Division for the Arab States, Europe, while acknowledging that the Americas is rich in natural resources, said it continues to face a plethora of environmental challenges.

NEED TO CHANGE COURSE
“The economic success in the Americas are now being challenged by the impacts of climate change, and if the region has to sustain its continued growth, it needs to change its course to one that integrates sustainable practices – from the investments level to policies and capacity-building at the national level,” Bakhshish urged on behalf of Tayer.

While development across the region has the potential to enhance significantly, those developments must take into consideration the targets set against the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, he said. “Only when there is a clear and concerted effort towards shifting to green economy will we be able to address the key challenges of today. Economies can only be resilient and adaptive to the negative impacts of climate change and global economic fluctuations when the system operates within a sustainable framework,” he further stated.

RAISE REGIONAL AWARENESS
The high-level Green Economy forum, an extension of the World Green Economy Summit, is intended to raise regional awareness by showcasing and scaling up the impact of evidence-based green economy solutions, already proven to be successful by countries in the Americas in addressing sustainable development challenges. The conference therefore focuses on three main thematic areas: Improving regulatory and policy frameworks for a Green Economy, promoting innovative green investment through public-private partnerships, and advancing national-level capacity development for a holistic green action.
The three-day conference is organised by the World Green Economy Organization in close cooperation with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and the Brazil-Africa Institute, in partnership with a number of key stakeholders. It is hosted by the Government of the State of Ceará, Brazil.

Noting that Green Economy offers vast opportunities in eradicating poverty as well as sustaining economic growth, the World Green Economy Organisation has explained “the Regional Ministerial Conference on Green Economy is intended to create an open and conducive knowledge-sharing setting aimed at supporting the participants in further improving their understanding on the trends and opportunities on the way towards advancing Green Economy agenda in the Americas Region.” It also presents a strategic networking opportunity for all green economy champions and actors active in the Americas Region.

“The 2019 Americas Regional Ministerial Conference on Green Economy is as a result of the success of the annual since 2014, World Green Economy Summit model and a direct response to the requests of participating countries and institutional partners to bring green solutions closer to the regional contexts and to deepen the impact of transition to a green economy through scaling up and replication of successful practices at the regional level,” the World Green Economy Organisation explained. The World Green Economy Summit is one of the leading annual global forums that brings together world-class experts to focus on advancing the global Green Economy agenda and the path towards the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.