23 November 2015

Dear Development Partner,

We write to seek your support to help countries achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by putting sustainability at the heart of economic policy and practice.

There is a growing realization among public and private sector decision makers that we need to evolve to a new economic model, capable of progressing and achieving the goals of sustainable development, and one that matches the ambition of countries as they embark on implementing

the 2030 Agenda. Over the last few years, over 65 countries have embraced Inclusive Green

Economy1 (IGE) and related strategies, with 48 of them developing national green economy plans

as the centrepiece of these strategies.2

Taking note of the potential and popularity of IGE as a policy and planning framework, Heads of State at the Rio+20 Summit recognised green economy as an important tool for achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction. They called upon the UN system to provide support to countries interested in transitioning to a green economy.

PAGE is a direct response to this call. PAGE brings together the expertise and broad convening power of five UN agencies — United Nations Environment Programme, International Labour

Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Institute for Training and Research. By working closely with national governments, private sector and civil society, PAGE offers a comprehensive, coordinated and cost-effective package of analytical support, technical assistance and capacity building services to countries and regions to transform their economies into drivers of sustainability and social equity.

The impact of PAGE support is starting to be felt:

Mongolia is working toward the achievement of 14 targets for a greener economy by 2030 included in its national Green Development Policy.

Peru, guided by the Roadmap to a Green Growth Strategy, is developing its national cross-sectoral green growth strategy.

China’s Jiangsu Province is identifying priority areas and sectors to further its progress toward an inclusive green economy.

Ghana is working toward operationalizing its Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2014-2017) through green economy stocktaking and fiscal studies.

1 In its simplest expression, such an economy is low carbon, efficient and clean in production, but also

Mauritius is developing its Achieving Meaningful Change (2016-2020) programme and a national Marshall Plan against poverty and social exclusion.

Senegal is drafting a ‘strategic orientation document’ on green economy and a national green jobs strategy to operationalize the Plan Senegal Emergent.

South Africa is undertaking an in-depth stocktaking exercise to assess the advancement of the green economy five years after the conclusion of the landmark Green Economy Accord.

Burkina Faso is undertaking a green economy assessment to integrate IGE goals and targets into the next development plan, the provisionally titled ‘SCADD 2’ (2016-2020).

inclusive in consumption and outcomes, based on sharing, circularity, collaboration, solidarity, resilience,

Demand for PAGE support continues to grow: PAGE has received requests from 30 countries to date. We hope we can count on your support to assist more countries in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability to foster economic growth, create income and jobs, reduce poverty and inequality, and strengthen the ecological foundations of their economies.

Yours sincerely,

Achim SteinerUNEP

Guy RiderILO

Helen ClarkUNDP

Li YongUNIDO

Nikhil SethUNITAR

opportunity, and interdependence. It is focused on expanding options and choices for national economies,

using targeted and appropriate fiscal and social protection policies, and backed up by strong institutions that

are specifically geared to safeguarding social and ecological floors. And it recognizes that there are many and

diverse pathways to environmental sustainability

2http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/Portals/88/documents/ger/IGE%20NARRATIVE

%20SUMMARY_Web.pdf