PAGE and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) met on 28 October in Pretoria to mark a seven-year successful collaboration and partnership with the Government of South Africa. The event aimed to continue long-term action towards building an Inclusive Green Economy and to pass the baton to the South African government. Key stakeholders and representatives from UN Agencies, private sector, civil society and research institutions who have walked this journey together, participated in this close out event.
31 October 2022
South Africa celebrates 7 years of action for Green Economy
In his opening remarks, ILO OIC Redha Ameur, highlighted the achievements of South Africa in the framework of PAGE. “The results achieved are impressive and due to strong government leadership, effective policy coordination, solid inter-ministerial collaboration and policy implementation for a green economy transformation addressing unemployment challenges and the needs of young people”, he said.
This close out ceremony, provided an opportunity to showcase the progress made by national stakeholders towards Inclusive Green Economy and a green recovery, and as a means of attaining sustainable development and climate change priorities, through PAGE and other national or internationally supported initiatives. With this transition, capturing of new challenges and opportunities as PAGE South Africa looks at sustainability plan and partnerships to sustain PAGE’s work over the longer term.
“We express our hope for the future in the sense that the established PAGE mechanism in South Africa … where national and international partners join forces will continue to shape a just transition, shape social justice and climate justice, shape equality and decent work to meet the 2030 Agenda and the commitments of 2015 Paris Agreement”, concluded Redha Ameur.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment presented key lessons learned and concluded on the plan, post the PAGE Programme to ensure its sustainability. These key areas include, Governance, Economic Modelling, Green Business Guideline for SMMEs, Start-ups and Entrepreneurs amongst others.
With a comprehensive green economy policy framework already in place when South Africa joined the partnership in 2015. PAGE work has been structured around improving policy coordination of the existing green economy policies, deepening collaboration between stakeholders and supporting policy implementation. Achievements to date include a green economy progress measurement framework, social dialogue on just transition and contributions towards policy reforms related to green industry, trade, water management and renewable energy. In the wake of the pandemic, PAGE provided a targeted green recovery support.
PAGE South Africa, through PAGE agencies, has contributed to progress towards SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and cut across several other SDGs, including SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 15 (Life on Land) and 17 (Partnership for the Goals), as well as South Africa’s NDCs. The country has been actively engaged in global and regional PAGE capacity development activities, including global Green Economy E-Learning courses, the Global Green Economy Academy and the 2019 PAGE Ministerial Conference.
Each PAGE agency representatives presented and shared the impact and success of the PAGE Programme in South Africa.
The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) puts sustainability at the heart of economic policymaking. PAGE brings together the expertise of five UN agencies: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to support nations and regions in transforming economies into drivers of sustainability and social equity, by providing policy advice, assessments, capacity development and analytical tools outputs to 22 partner countries.
