The United Nations Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) held its first provincial-level Green Economy Academy in Jiangsu’s Taizhou city. The two-day event gathers more than 50 participants, including environmental scholars, policymakers and front-line environmental bureau officers from seven municipalities in Jiangsu for an interactive learning experience on advancing green economy transition in Jiangsu.
In the opening speech, Mr. Wu Shunze, Director-General of PRCEE, pointed out the theoretical underpinning for the green development notion in China, and the challenges ahead. While green development as a concept already resonates well with the public in China, the green sector of the economy (namely the environmental goods and services and natural capital) is yet to reach a critical mass for catalyzing a full-scale green economy transition. In this context, PAGE provincial academy provides an excellent platform for knowledge sharing and the exchange of ideas and good practices.
The academy agenda, tailored to the local learning needs and context, consists of the following seven modules jointly delivered by leading scholars and specialists in China as well as from PAGE UN agencies:
– Inclusive Green Economy: the UN perspectives and how does it apply to the Jiangsu context
– Green Finance: channeling capital in green industries
– Assessing and Investing in Natural Capital
– SDGs, MAPS and Gender in the Green Economy
– Measuring the progress of Green Economy: the Green Economy Progress (GEP) framework, indicator and its first application in Jiangsu
– Facilitating the Green Transition: Introduction of Green Industrial Policy tools
– Green Industrial Parks in China: evolving development, policy tools and recommendations
At the end of the academy, participants are able to gain a comprehensive understanding of green economy and the policy tools available for promoting the green transition. A post-event feedback survey, with a response rate of 73%, suggests that 96.3% respondents consider the provincial academy helpful to their work. All respondents indicate that the academy improved their knowledge on green economy related topics and confirmed their interest to participate in future PAGE Green Economy activities. As suggested by multiple respondents, PAGE shall encourage more participation from enterprises and business representatives in future events for promoting the green economy concepts and practices. After the event, an online social media group was established voluntarily by the participants to continue the exchange and sharing.
The PAGE Jiangsu provincial academy was organized by the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE) under the Ministry of Environmental Protection in China, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Department of Jiangsu Province and the Taizhou Bureau of Environmental Protection. PAGE agencies including UN Environment, UNIDO, UNDP contributed substantively into the design, knowledge support and the implementation of this PAGE academy.
