The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), agencies under the umbrella of the United Nations, believes that by convening international institutions, governments, the private sector and civil society, it can radically alter the way market forces work to promote sustainable and equitable economies.
PAGE aims to spread this message to thought-leaders and policy-makers at a side-event to the High Level Political Forum entitled “Recalibrating Market Forces: How Greener and More Inclusive Economies and Finance are Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
In the aftermath of a G20 summit that marked ideas about shared prosperity and environmental sustainability as cornerstones for a broader global development agenda, the question of how to shape this future has never been so relevant. Global economic activity increased almost sevenfold between 1950 and 2000, but that increased productivity has come at a cost, with rapid biodiversity loss, increasingly polluted air and waterways and climate disruption indicating to many that a new model for productivity must be found.
Nonetheless, the dual imperatives to protect the earth and spark economic growth are not necessarily at odds with one another. Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, said: “Greener economies can be engines of growth, both in advanced and developing economies. They can generate decent green jobs that contribute significantly to climate mitigation and adaptation, but also to poverty eradication and social inclusion.”
Organizers hope that the side-event will help mainstream these ideas even further. “The High Level Political Forum is really the stage where global decision makers and international institutions come together and think about ways we can meet the SDGs. We think the PAGE model is a really good example of how we can help countries at the very beginning of the process, but then it really takes on a momentum of its own,” said Asad Naqvi, Acting Head of PAGE Secretariat.
The side-event focused on reviewing green development progress with a particular focus on the SDGs in order to demonstrate the innovative ways that green policies already contribute to reaching these world benchmarks.
PAGE was launched in 2013 in response to the call to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories. PAGE seeks to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and supports nations and regions in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability to foster economic growth, create income and jobs, reduce poverty and inequality, and strengthen the ecological foundations of their economies.
Source: ILO
