Beijing, 11 June 2015 – Delegates from China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, are meeting today in Beijing for a high-level workshop (11-12 June) on the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Green Economy and China’s Ecological Civilization approaches. The aim of the two day event, which also brings together experts from UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and other international organizations, is to facilitate a dialogue on the development of a “Green Silk Road” that strengthens the sub-region’s transition to an inclusive Green Economy.
Over the course of the workshop, government officials, researchers and international experts will share information about their own national Inclusive Green Economy and sustainable development practices, and discuss opportunities for sub-regional cooperation on Green Economy and related issues. China’s implementation of its own Ecological Civilization approach is also being shared as an example that holds valuable lessons for other countries in the region.
“With new sources of financing available for development in the region, such as the Silk Road Infrastructure Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), this is a critical time for Central Asian countries and their neighbors to cooperate on the implementation of policies that will enable investments to flow into green sectors of the economy”, said Claudia Assmann, Programme Officer at UNEP’s Economics and Trade Branch, the home of the Green Economy Initiative.
This high-level workshop is taking place within the framework of the UNEP project South-South Cooperation in Mongolia and Central Asia Countries: Sharing Knowledge on Inclusive Green Economies and Ecological Civilization. As part of the project, researchers from China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have spent the last six-weeks in Beijing participating in a research fellowship programme at Beijing Normal University. The goal of the project is to build research capacity in the sub-region and produce a Green Economy scoping report for Central Asia, the production of which is being led by international expert Dr. John Shilling.
Today’s high-level workshop marks the end of the six week fellowship programme, during which the research fellows have attended seminars and lectures with Chinese experts and visited various relevant organizations, institutions, and field sites, in addition to carrying out their research work under the guidance of Dr. Shilling. The countries participating in this project have recognized the importance of shifting towards inclusive green economies, and have begun to take steps to do so.
“This is the beginning of a long term process that involves educating policy makers and the public about the changes needed, the reasons for them, and the expected results. Some important first steps have been made, and this UNEP supported project is a major step in helping [participating countries] recognize the key issues to be addressed, identify the kinds of policies needed, and demonstrate the benefits of more sub-regional cooperation” said Dr. Shilling.
The scoping report, workshop and research fellowship programme, are intended to be the start of UNEP’s ongoing work on South-South Cooperation for Inclusive Green Economy in the Central Asian region.
