Every year the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development meets to advance the UN System’s agenda on sustainable development. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is leading the discussion on urgent environmental issues through five side-events. This article is part of our coverage of the forum’s 2020 edition.
The side event hosted by the Partnership for a Green Economy (PAGE) convened leading voices from United Nations agencies and national ministries to assess progress toward an inclusive, sustainable future. All panelists agreed that one feature above all has led to PAGE’s gains and would be critical going forward: Partnership.
Asad Naqvi, Head of the PAGE Secretariat, declared that parties are ambitious “to go far, to go fast, and to go together.” Against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, that ambition will surely be tested.
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder stressed that parties to PAGE “stand ready to scale action” so not to lose the gains we have made in this unprecedented moment.
Officials from Uruguay, Sweden, and Indonesia contributed a view from the ground, where partnership in action has led to demonstrable advancement. Omar Paganini, Uruguay’s Minister of Industry, Energy, and Mining spoke of his country’s achievement of 98% of electricity from renewables, but also of his fears of stalled progress in the face of economic slowdown and massive unemployment. For a country that depends so much on production, the circular economy will be key.
UNIDO Director-General LI Young echoed the imperative for PAGE to support ambitious models of circular economy and resource efficient production. “This new normal requires us to rethink how we produce and consume,” he said. “Green growth will become a significant driver of shared recovery.”
While COVID-19 has been, in the words of UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen “A horrible wakeup call,” we all must “summon our collective will” to renew our ambition and commitment. “It is not enough to protect your own economy — we need global solidarity,” she said.
UNITAR Executive Director Nikhil Seth dispelled “the myth” that COVID-19 is an obstacle to ambition. Instead, he said, the pandemic’s disproportionate effects on marginalized communities demonstrate that “the principles on which the sustainable development goals were founded are very sound. COVID-19 reinforces the importance of green economy approaches, of inclusivity. Partnership is needed now more than ever.”
Germany’s Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda, at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Stephan Contius agreed: “We are all experiencing the greatest need for partnership and solidary between nations. The tailor-made advice that PAGE provides partner countries is critical.”
And with that, the Minister announced Germany’s commitment of $6 million to PAGE’s next phase, while PAGE simultaneously launched its 2021-2030 Strategy to expand its green economy efforts.