Global Institutions Unite for a Green and Fair COVID Recovery

On World Environment Day, 5th June 2020, global institutions united as ‘Partners for Inclusive Green Economies’ and identified ten policy options to help develop a green and fair COVID recovery.

The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating existing global inequalities within and between countries and communities, while exposing how vulnerable our socio-economic systems are to external shocks.

To help combat these important global issues, the ‘Partners for Inclusive Green Economies’ are calling for recovery efforts that recognize the interdependencies between human and environmental health and aim to build resilience to even more profound risks on the horizon — biodiversity loss, widening inequality, and climate change.

“As much of the world starts to slowly recover from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, our economies, our societies and our communities now have an opportunity to push the hard reset button on their relationships with the environment,” says UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

“In particular, we must insert the DNA of a green economy into all recovery efforts — this is crucial not only to protect ecosystems and biodiversity and restore nature but it will also bring other concrete benefits including the creation of new green jobs and reductions in inequalities while fostering more resilient communities.” he continued.

Together, the partner organizations have identified ten policy options that will guide a fast, fair, and green recovery, briefly outlined as follows:

1. The Green Economy Principles of Wellbeing, Justice, Sufficiency & Efficiency, Planetary Boundaries, and Good Governance should guide recovery plans and actions.
2. Advance national green economy plans, ‘Green Deals,’ green industrial strategies and COVID-19 recovery plans to build long-term resilience and prosperity. Countries should use this opportunity to redouble efforts to meet the ambitions of the SDGs and Paris Agreement.
3. Structure fiscal stimulus and financial aid packages to accelerate the transition to a fair and green economy – not to undermine it.
4. Recognize and value the role of nature in reducing systemic risks, and mitigate the risk of future zoonotic disease outbreaks by addressing their root causes.
5. Build resilience to external shocks by investing in sustainable infrastructure and stronger public health and environmental protection.
6. Strengthen and broaden inclusive social protection mechanisms and advance human rights.
7. Accelerate the energy transition and tackle fossil fuel subsidies.
8. Apply a gender-responsive approach to the recovery to effectively address underlying issues of gender inequality.
9. Prioritize small and informal enterprises to accelerate the private sector transition to greener practices.
10. Improve global cooperation and coordination to more effectively respond to other global crises.

To read the full priority paper, follow this link.

Partners for Inclusive Green Economy is an initiative involving UN Environment, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, Global Green Growth Institute, Green Economy Coalition, Green Growth Knowledge Partnership, International Labour Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Poverty-Environment Action for SDGs, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, United Nations Partnership for Action on Green Economy and United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.