The Green Growth Best Practice (GGBP) initiative this week released a synthesis of key findings from its review of green growth approaches taken in different countries and regions around the world.  This summary report, unveiled at the 1st Global Conference on Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) today in Dubai, comes in advance of the release of the full report, which is to be launched in June 2014.

Green growth strategies play vital roles in unlocking synergies between economic growth, environmental protection, and poverty reduction and enabling a transition to an inclusive green economy.  By analysing around 60 specific government programmes from around the world, the GGBP demonstrates that green growth is actively practiced around the world as a dynamic pathway to achieve a green economy and sustainable development.The recommendations for effective green growth approaches, based on the experience of early movers, provides practical guidance for national and sub-national policy planning towards the sustainable development goals in the post-2015 development agenda.

“The latest climate science [from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] confirms that humankind is contributing to climate change and has the power to limit its damage,” said Sam Bickersteth, Chief Executive of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network.

“Green growth, which limits manmade climate change and builds climate resilience, as well as driving economic development and poverty reduction, is a necessity not a choice.   And there are synergies and trade-offs to be negotiated through careful planning, consultation and consensus building.  The GGBP’s report, released initially in summary, provides inspiring examples of green growth leadership around the world to motivate others and help create irresistible momentum towards more sustainable economies.”

In pursuing a green growth strategy, the GGBP highlights the importance of an integrated approach that links a well-coordinated process for policy planning and implementation, robust analysis of benefits, opportunities, risks and options, and monitoring and evaluation into an iterative and reinforcing cycle.

Another key element is to recognise that green growth strategies lead to a transformative change that requires dynamic shifts from the status quo.  Policy and financing decisions should be designed to enable green growth by capturing strategic opportunities for green technologies and green jobs, reducing investment risks, diminishing vulnerability of the poor to natural disasters and resource scarcity, and fostering efficient ways of consuming and managing natural resources are adopted.

The Synthesis of Key Findings elaborates on nine key actions that enable effective green growth policy:

·      Use well-designed planning and coordination processes

·      Establish clear visions, targets, and baselines

·      Undertake robust analysis and balanced communication of the benefits of green growth

·      Prioritize options and develop credible pathways toward targets

·      Design policies to address multiple goals and respond to specific market failures

·      Design public finance instruments to overcome barriers and mobilize private investment

·      Tap the power of public-private collaboration

·      Pursue mutually reinforcing action across all levels of government

·      Build and maintain strong monitoring and evaluation systems

“Although still a new field of development, green growth has rapidly grown in prominence and practice over the past few years. The GGBP initiative provides a robust global analysis of good practices that can guide policymakers on which green growth approaches are most effective in different contexts and accelerate the transition to inclusive green economies," said Howard Bamsey, Director-General, Global Green Growth Institute.

The final report, to be released in June 2014, will represent the culmination of more than a year of work by 75 authors in the field of green growth.  The report and supporting case studies will also be available in the form of an online “living handbook,” which will feature an interactive interface.

Countries can request collaboration from GGBP and LEDS GP in learning more about and applying results of the findings, including possible in-country briefings on topics of interest by contacting Sangjung Ha, sj.ha@gggi.org

About the GGBP

GGBP is an effort to assess green growth planning and implementation practices around the world and find what works best under what circumstances, so as to assist policy makers and practitioners to improve the quality of green growth efforts. Launched in October 2012 the GGBP is supported by three organisations – Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), and European Climate Foundation (ECF), and is governed by a steering committee with representatives from: Children’s Investment Fund Foundation; Climate and Development Knowledge Network; European Climate Foundation; Global Green Growth Institute; International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature, Conservation, and Nuclear Safety; LEDS Global Partnership; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; United Nations Development Programme; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; United Nations Environment Programme; and the World Bank. GGBP is also working in close collaboration with various other regional and global partners and green growth experts.

GGBP is conducting a broad array of activities to build awareness and support use of the findings of this assessment, including presenting results through seminars and dialogues requested by government agencies and partnering with others on policy dialogue workshops, e-learning and peer learning programmes.