2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit Panel Discussion
On 25 September 2015, UNEP, the Government of Germany, and the UNDP, supported by the PAGE secretariat, hosted a high-level panel discussion in New York on the economic frameworks and investments that trigger a shift towards an inclusive sustainable growth path and opportunities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through this shift.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and SDG 8 in particular – highlight the need to put environmental sustainability and social inclusion at the centre of economic frameworks by promoting “sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all”. Achieving all the SDGs will require a major shift in investment flows to transform our economies and infrastructure to achieve prosperity for all on a healthy planet. Given the interdependence of the SDGs, broad interagency and collaborative open partnerships will be needed to ensure a coordinated response for those countries seeking transformative change at global and national levels.
At this event, panellists explored ideas and options for:
1) Creating opportunities and triggering change for more inclusive and greener growth, especially in the context of the SDGs,
2) Mobilizing investment and financing at scale,
3) Ensuring equitable benefits for all from transition to greener and more inclusive economies, and
4) Strengthening advisory mechanisms, networks and partnerships, such as the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) and the Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI), among others, that can support countries in reframing economic policies and practices around sustainability.
INVITED PANELLISTS
H.E. Barbara Hendricks, Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany
H.E. Bomo Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
H.E. Tine Sundtoft, Minister for Climate and the Environment, Norway
H.E. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment, Peru
Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development
Gilbert Houngbo, Deputy Director-General for Field Operations & Partnerships, International Labour Organization
Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
Moderated by: Magdy Martínez-Solimán, Assistant Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
For more information, see the attachment below.