UNEP Engages with Strategic Partners & Countries to Deliver on Rio + 20

At the 2012 Rio+20 Conference, green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication was recognized as a tool for achieving social, economic and environmental sustainable development. The outcome document, The Future We Want, requested UN support for “the implementation of green economy policies by countries that seek to apply them for the transition towards sustainable development as a common undertaking.” UNEP has been active in this regard, partnering with numerous UN and civil society partners to respond to country demand wherever it may occur. These responses – a rainbow of activities in unison with member states around the world – are described below, and provide food for thought on how sustainable development goals can be met and exceeded in the emerging post-2015 development agenda.

Some key highlights follow:

›› African countries have been among the front runners, and more than 10 African countries have adopted or are developing green economy policies and plans, including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Senegal and South Africa among others.

›› In the Asia-Pacific region, national green economy strategies are spreading with recent advances in Viet Nam, Mongolia and Cambodia, and important steps forward have been taken in China with leadership on what it calls an “ecological civilisation”.

›› In the Caribbean and across the spectrum of Small Island Developing States, Barbados adopted green economy strategies years before Rio+20 and several islands are now moving in this direction, including Jamaica, Mauritius, Seychelles, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

›› In Latin America, countries such as Mexico, Peru and Uruguay are working towards greener and more inclusive economies as part of overarching strategies to achieve sustainable development.

For more information, please refer to the updated green economy flyer.

 Green Economy Flyer - Towards Greener and More Inclusive Economies