Revisiting Economics and Finance to Accelerate Action for People & Planet

SIDE EVENT
Thursday 2 June
13:30-14:45 CEST
Stockholmsmässan, Room 4

Organizers: UNEP, ILO, UNDP, UNIDO & UNITAR under the auspices of the United Nations Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), together with funding partners, partner countries, and partner initiatives including the Environment for Development Initiative, Stockholm Resilience Center (Stockholm University), Poverty and Environment Action, UNEP Finance Initiative, among others.

Archived video: Watch

About:

Linear and fossil-based economic and finance models of the past are no-longer an option in a world of increasing planetary crisis, climate risks, growing socioeconomic uncertainties, inequalities and poverty. These times of multiple and interconnected global crises call for broad-based partnerships that address economic, social and environmental dimensions in tandem that create resilience, sufficiency and increased capacities for human wellbeing and prosperity.

Our challenge is to correct the gross misallocation of capital that is depleting natural resources and ecosystems, while eroding social foundations and trust in public institutions. Our responsibility is to accelerate policy and investment shifts for an inclusive, green, system-wide socioeconomic transformation that creates new sustainable development pathways and ensures prosperity for all within planetary boundaries. Our opportunity is the Stockholm+50 Conference, bringing together global leaders to urgently accelerate action on the SDGs.

Moderator(s): Alan AtKisson (Sida)

Invited Panelists:

  • Achim Steiner (UNDP)
  • Gerd Müller (UNIDO)
  • Steven Stone (UNEP)
  • H.E. Virginijus Sinkevičius (European Commission)
  • Hon. Dr. Siti Nurbaya Bakar (Minister for Environment and Forestry Indonesia)
  • Hon. Kavydass Ramano (Minister of Environment Mauritius)
  • Hon. Beob-jeong Kim (Deputy Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea)
  • Hon. Cecilia Nicolini (Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development Argentina)
  • Carin Jämtin (Sida)
  • Gita Sabharwal (UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand)
  • Kevin Urama (African Development Bank)
  • Youth / Civil society representatives including Green Economy Coalition

Contact person: Clara Axblad (clara.axblad_at_un.org)

Additional information:

Luncheon will be served from 13.15.

Event outcomes (Key transformative actions):

  • Funding partners and the finance sector should scale up their efforts to enable countries to reach the SDGs by 2030, supported by programmes like PAGE. The need to access finance for the green transition and funding for sustainable development and institution building emerged from this event.

  • Finance: The speakers raised concerns on the lack of global funds for climate action and exchanged views on finance for green economic development and job creation. They agreed that ODA plays a central role in promoting a green economy. The role of funding partners is therefore crucial. For example, Sida has established an internal committee on financing development and institution building, while the EU Green Deal has a strong cooperation component through its Global Gateway. The Republic of Korea reaffirmed its commitment to partner with countries through PAGE and Korea's green ODA.

  • PAGE, through its partner agencies, should support countries in uniting economic expertise by leveraging the UN reform and developing collaborations and partnership with the civil society, local government and the private sector in order to reach the SDGs by 2030. The necessity for partnerships and collective action emerged from this event.

  • Partnership: In times of multiple and interconnected global crises, partnerships that address economic, social and environmental dimensions together can create resilience, sufficiency and increased capacities for human wellbeing and prosperity. Speakers suggested that integrative approaches, broad-based partnerships and joint programmes facilitate transformative action toward a greener economy. Developing different kinds of partnerships and cooperation with small and large organizations, including the civil society, local governments and the private sector, can support countries in switching to greener and more inclusive economies. Over the past 10 years, the PAGE collaborative model has proved successful in this regard.

  • Inter-agency programmes like PAGE should scale up the integrated approach to policy advice and technical expertise in supporting countries to reach the SDGs by 2030. The necessity for effective and integrated policies as well as acting collectively emerged from this event.

  • Policy: The panelists noted that all the dimensions of the sustainability agenda (environment, society and economy) should be integrated for green policymaking to be effective. When transitioning to a green economy, countries should consider establishing a comprehensive national strategy that unites institutions, mobilizes finance and investment from the private sector, and finances capacity building in countries that are ready to take action. Enabling policy environments for integrated sectoral policies that address environmental, social and economic dimensions together should incentivize the shift towards an inclusive, green, system-wide socioeconomic transformation that creates new sustainable development pathways and ensures prosperity for all.

 


Return to Programme