Ms. Mirjana Špoljarić Egger, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

Keynote address at the International Green Days Conference

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Dear Deputy Prime Minister,
President of the Chamber of Economy
Deputy Mayor of Podgorica
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In 2015 the countries of the world adopted a common agenda to end poverty, reduce inequality and fight climate change.  

The Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals are not a solution in and for themselves, but provide us with a common language that enables us to communicate across all boundaries about the incredibly complex and fast changing challenges of this century.

And beyond just being a common language, they are the smartest political compass we have to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth; growth that protects our planet and leaves no one behind; growth that reflects the complexity and interdependence of issues and peoples.

In the Western Balkans, as elsewhere in the world, already existing challenges will be magnified by the expected impacts of climate change. This region’s socio-economic vulnerabilities are deeply rooted in environmental mismanagement, poor infrastructure and inefficient practices.

At the global level, the recent UN Report on State of Nature emphasizes  that ‘the health of ecosystems on which we all depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide’.

The report calls for transformative change through a system-wide reorganization of our economies, their underlying values and the way we produce and consume.

This means a transition to a green economy, which the UN has identified as a key accelerator with multiplier impacts on several Sustainable Development Goals.

Put simply, a green economy entails a development paradigm shift that pursues economic growth within our planetary boundaries, with less use of natural resources and less environmental damage.

The Green Economy is projected to grow globally by 2030, with potential to unlock trillions in green investments. But to unleash this potential, traditional resource allocations have to be rechannelled from business as usual into green infrastructure and sustainable assets.

With the right policies in place, a shift to a greener economy could generate 24 million new jobs globally by 2030 in the energy sector, using electric vehicles, and increasing energy efficiency in existing and future buildings.

Automation and technology are already changing the labour markets, and we need to invest today into the economy and its workforce of tomorrow.

Therefore, the overdue transformation into green economy calls for urgent collective action from public and private sector leaders, researchers, civil communities and individuals.

Governments and policy makers have to first define a clear and inclusive vision for green economy and growth across all sectors – be it transport, energy, agriculture or tourism – so that over time, green instead of brown becomes the norm.  

Second, they have to underpin their countries’ development vision with coherent and measurable implementation strategies, informed by policy modelling, impact analysis and assessment tools to gauge trade-offs between ‘business as usual’ and pursuing green development alternatives.  

Third, governments have to align fiscal and public investment frameworks with the Green Economy vision. Countries’ budgets are the strongest expression of their priorities. Phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies is not a question of ‘if’ but of ‘when’. Reforming tax systems to partially shift the tax burden from labour to polluters also sends a strong signal of public sector commitment.  

Fourth, public sector entities have to lead by example. They are a significant consumer of goods and services. Procurement rules are a powerful tool that can directly impact sustainable production and consumption patterns.

Last but definitely not least, we need smart legal and policy frameworks to steer financial capital towards economic activities that support the future we want. This entails calculating environmental and social risks in the cost of capital and pricing the true cost of business, including that of negative environmental impacts.

On the other side, the private sector also plays a pivotal role. First by aligning companies’ strategy and business models with the Green Economy, using it as their ‘innovation direction’ for a competitive edge and access to new markets.

Second, disclosure and transparency in aligning companies’ longer-term value creation with the Green Economy can attract more financing through capital markets. If companies make green commitments upfront, followed by traceable actions, they will gain more trust as their contributions to countries’ development vision become visible.

Third, producers need to move away from a ‘take-make-dispose’ business model to a Reduce, Repair, Reuse and Recycle model. This can yield cost savings thanks to resource efficiency and early adaptation to potential risks.

Finally, as individual consumers, we will have to change our consumption patterns too, essentially our everyday behaviour and practices, by switching to sustainable goods and decreasing our energy consumption.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

Let me close by commending Montenegro for adopting the Green Economy vision in its National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Your investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency are already spearheading important economic transitions and UNDP is proud to support the Government of Montenegro in these efforts.

I also want to thank our partners for co-hosting this important conference. I trust that the innovative practices, business models and partnerships that we will hear about today and tomorrow will help Montenegro and other countries in the region to move from ‘greening products & services’ to genuinely green development pathways.

On behalf of UNDP, I welcome you again and look forward to our future joint engagements towards sustainable and green growth for all.

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