Country over-arching strategies for inclusive, green economy approaches Usman Iftikhar UNDP New York

Understanding the opportunities and challenges in the transition to a green economy including the links to poverty reduction strategies and issues of social equity Sharing experiences of different countries in formulating strategies, plans and policies and instruments for socially inclusive, low carbon, natural resource efficient economy Understanding the trade-offs and synergies for the transition to an inclusive green economy and what helps Purpose of this session

sustained economic growth is necessary but not sufficient; economic growth in sectors that provide employment, production and entrepreneurship opportunities to the poor. –These include sectors where the poor are more likely to find their livelihoods such as agriculture, fishing, forestry and other natural resources; and others where unskilled labour is important. redistribution of the benefits of growth through public spending in the provision of equitable, quality services for the poor –that helps improve their – and their children’s –skills and productivity. –In turn, the poor boost growth when they are equipped with assets and resources to actively take part in the development process; Taking stock of lessons learned on more “inclusive” aspects

pro-active focus on women, the excluded, and hard to reach population groups who may need special help to gain access to employment and quality services. –These may have important multiplier effects, positively affecting several dimensions of well-being empowering the poor and marginalized – including women – to play an effective role in the decisions that determine their long term well-being; providing protection against negative shocks – including those arising from global crises such as those due to high food prices – so as to avoid slowdowns or reversals in poverty reduction.

Policy opportunities and challenges for Inclusive Green Economy Strategies maintain growth and reduce emissions for the economy, while also promoting the creation of jobs and other economic opportunities in sectors that employ the poor; generate adequate amounts of public revenues to allow investment in quality services with equitable access by the poor; retain biodiversity and ecosystem services, while seeking to maintain in sustainable supply of food as well as livelihoods of the poor who are dependent on them; enhance energy and resource efficiency in the economy, including through the equitable access to energy by the poor and the promotion of its efficient use; ensure resilience to environmental (and other) risks through developing adaptive capacities.

Practical opportunities and challenges for an Inclusive Green Economy Integrated planning - institutional arrangements; coordination structures and alignment for national policy coherence and priorities Integrated tools/methodologies to link achieving growth, equity, poverty reduction and sustainability and understanding where synergies are possible and where tradeoffs are inevitable Designing carefully calibrated inclusive green economy policy responses Costing and budgeting of policy responses and identifying and accessing a variety of financing mechanisms Developing indicators and measurement frameworks Identifying and addressing implementation challenges