The Committee on Environmental Policy of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has concluded its special session devoted to the final preparatory activities for the Seventh Ministerial Conference to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 21-23 September 2011, including on the green economy.
31 May 2011: The Committee on Environmental Policy of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) concluded, on 27 May 2011, its special session devoted to the final preparatory activities for the Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 21-23 September 2011.
The Committee approved the draft ministerial declaration outlining the pan-European agenda for the upcoming years on the two major themes of the Conference: “Sustainable management of water and water-related ecosystems” and “Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development.” According to the draft ministerial declaration, ministers would: agree to strengthen efforts for the transition to a green economy by stimulating green investment in various economic sectors, applying effective mixes of policy instruments to promote resource efficiency and supporting research, innovations, education and training to secure the achievement of a green, inclusive and competitive economy; agree to take the lead in the transition to a green economy and make a substantive contribution to the discussions on green economy within the context of sustainable development and poverty alleviation at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to take place in Rio de Janeiro from 4-6 June 2012; and invite UNECE to consider developing, in cooperation with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other relevant international organizations, a road map for greening the economy in the UNECE region.
The Committee also approved two substantive documents prepared on these themes. The document “Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development” addresses the following questions: What policy mixes have the potential to secure the achievement of a green, inclusive, and competitive economy, through an integrated approach, including sectors such as transport, housing, energy, agriculture and education? How can research, innovation and investment help the transition towards a green economy? How can resource efficiency improve sustainability and competitiveness in local, regional and global markets?; and How could the “Environment for Europe” process contribute to outcomes on green economy in the context of Rio+20? [UNECE press release][Documents of the special session of the Committee on Environmental Policy]