2022 Annual Report

Cambodia joined PAGE as a new country in 2022, under the leadership of the Department for Green Economy at the Ministry of Environment, in its capacity as the General Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development.

During the inception mission 17-21 October, the five PAGE agencies met with representatives from the Government, the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, development and funding partners, as well as private sector associations to discuss challenges and opportunities for a green economic transformation and secure national engagement and ownership.

 To identify critical policy areas for a green economic transformation, PAGE initiated an Economic Transformation Policy Assessment (ETPA) in partnership with the Cambodia Development Resource Institute, building on recommendations provided by an expert from the Green TEAM. The ETPA will cover high impact sectors identified as a priority in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, including garment, tourism, and agriculture and analyse cross-cutting theme such as green investment and finance, green technology, green industry and SME development, resource efficiency and green jobs.

After Rwanda joined PAGE in 2022, the Head of the PAGE Secretariat met with partner Ministries, UN resident agencies, private sector stakeholders, and major bilateral development partners in Kigali in December to set the strategic vision for PAGE support. The mission increased awareness among national stakeholders on the role that conducive macroeconomic policies, including finance, and investments can play in accelerating the transition to a circular and green economy. PAGE enhanced its understanding of key government priorities for greening the economy, as well as critical knowledge and capacity gaps. As a next step, PAGE will conduct an Economic Transformation Policy Assessment (ETPA).

The Ministry of Public Finance, under the framework of the Environmental Fiscal Strategy, officially launched PAGE in Guatemala. The Ministry of Economy, in charge of coordinating the Plan for the Economic Recovery, and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, as leading on environmental issues, will support the implementation of the program. The Vice-Minister of Revenue and Fiscal Evaluation, highlighted that this alliance will enable the formulation of sustainable economic policies and practices that promote environmentally friendly development, reduce inequality, and generate income and employment opportunities in alignment with the SDGs. 

PAGE objectives in the country include developing green fiscal policies, ensuring a just transition that leaves no one behind, and supporting important national and international processes, such as the SDGs and the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution. The green economy has been recognized by Guatemala as a tool to achieve sustainable development and included in the General Policy of the Government. 

The PAGE Programme in Thailand was officially launched in November 2022. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy presided over the opening ceremony, which was hosted by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council and UNIDO. The event brought together more than 300 stakeholders, both in person and online, including policymakers, researchers, investors, and other key actors from the government, private sector, academia, think-tanks, social organizations, press and media.

PAGE Thailand will target five areas contributing to an inclusive green economy: 1) reduction of carbon emissions and pollution, 2) promotion of energy and resource efficiency, 3) biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, 4) decent job creation, and 5) a just transition creating prosperity for all. These actions are critical for addressing poverty, social inequality and environmental degradation while promoting economic growth that is environmentally-friendly and socially just.

In 2022, Burkina Faso celebrated 8 years of achievements under PAGE and the start of a new chapter to make the country’s economy low carbon, job rich and socially inclusive. The transition ceremony on 1 December showcased results since 2014 and discussed perspectives as the country graduates from PAGE’s core engagement. The ceremony held during the National Green Economy Week was co-chaired by the Ministers of Environment and Tourism and also supported by the Global Green Growth Institute.

The Minister of Environment announced the institutionalization of the National Green Economy Week and the establishment of a technical secretariat, both to be funded with national budgetary resources. Participants— including the public and private sectors, NGOs, regional and international organizations, economic interest groups, and civil society—strongly supported the further leveraging of PAGE’s achievements.

Several funding partners expressed their interest to support the implementation of the National Green Economy Strategy (SNEV) and related actions. A green technology fair attracted over 500 participants from various sectors, including agri-food, agriculture, forestry, renewable energy, solar-powered manufacturing and electric cars.

In the future, the yearly Green Economy Week will provide a framework for dialogue and monitoring of the implementation of the SNEV and other strategies contributing to sustainable development.

On 21-22 September, key stakeholders, including three Ministers, the UN Resident Coordinator and other representatives from the Mauritian Government, the UN, and development partners, came together in Port-Louis to celebrate eight years of partnership in the country. The Transition Ceremony was attended by 100 participants and was an opportunity to showcase PAGE work in Mauritius since 2014 and present the Sustainability Plan for future action. It resulted in stakeholders, through working groups, jointly developing key priorities and next steps for further transitioning Mauritius towards an inclusive green economy (IGE).

The Government of Senegal, under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, invited key stakeholders involved in green economy action to Dakar on 12-14 October to celebrate 8 years of partnership with PAGE, present a sustainability strategy, reinforce the Government’s commitment to continuing the inclusive green economy (IGE) work in the future, and exchange on challenges and opportunities in the run-up to Climate COP 27.

The two-day event included panels and thematic sessions, an exhibition, and a Media Award Ceremony to award outstanding journalistic productions related to green economy. It was attended by 150 participants, including high-level representatives of the Government and other State structures, UN representatives, development partners (Embassies of Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Republic of Korea, the EU, GGGI), the private sector, civil society, the research and education sector, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and NGOs.

The meeting officially installed the bodies of the National Multi-Stakeholder Platform on Green Economy (PNEV) mandated by a government degree to anchor green economy in Senegal. PNEV will take the lead on developing a roadmap for the pursuit of the green economy promotional activities in Senegal beyond the interventions of PAGE, based on the presented sustainability strategy.

PAGE South Africa and national partners held a Transition Ceremony to celebrate 7 years of partnership and showcase progress made towards inclusive green economy (IGE) and a green recovery. National stakeholders also reaffirmed their commitments to sustainable development and climate change priorities. In addition, this event provided an opportunity for national stakeholders to become better informed on how to continue to promote IGE in South Africa after the phase out of PAGE support. The event consisted of keynote addresses, closing remarks, presentations and feedback solicited from participants on sustainability planning.

PAGE Uruguay celebrated five years of programme implementation with the event, “Learnings and Perspectives of the Inclusive Green Economy: five years of PAGE Uruguay” on 18-19 October. The event highlighted a wide range of successful national efforts that contributed to the integration of the green economy into public policies in key economic sectors, including policies and programmes that promote resource efficiency, environmental quality and sustainability, green jobs and the circular economy. The event provided a platform to share the results achieved and experiences and learnings gathered with different stakeholders, also including an element of regional exchange with other in the region PAGE Programmes further strengthening the regional network of Green Economy Programs. About 150 participants from the national and local government, civil society, international organizations, and academia attended the event.