Bangkok, 3 April 2016 – Transformative change in the use of material and financial resources to promote green economy in the Asia Pacific region is a key recommendation by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in a report prepared with partners and released today during the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report, entitled Transformations for Sustainable Development: Promoting Environmental Sustainability in Asia and the Pacific, was prepared with UNEP, the United Nations University and the Institute for Global Environmental Studies, and highlights the importance of transforming public and private investment flows and resource use, to promote sustainable development.
“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an aspirational call for action with a short time frame for delivery. In the lead up to its adoption, ‘transformation’ became a buzzword, with much talk about transformation for sustainable development and how it would require additional finance, technology and greater capacity. This report takes a step towards explaining that needed transformation,” said Isabelle Louis, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific a.i. “It proposes reframing and re-prioritizing the relationships between the economy, the society and nature through transformations in four areas—social justice, investment flows, economic structure and resource use.”
The report was produced to support Asia-Pacific governments in their efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda and is the result of combined contribution of the four institutions to bring multidisciplinary thinking into implementation. It emphasized that transformative change relies not only rely on more money or technology but also on the capacity of governments to foster social, economic and technological innovations.
The Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development convened by ESCAP, which began today and continues till 5 April 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand, is the first meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders on sustainable development since the 2030 Agenda was adopted last year. The Forum engages Member States, United Nations and other institutions, major groups and other stakeholders on regional priorities and a regional roadmap for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific.
For more information, please contact: Ms. Satwant Kaur, Regional Information Officer, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Tel: + (66 2) 2882127; Mobile: +(66 8) 17001376, Email: satwant.kaur@unep.org
