Inclusive Solutions for Green Transition was the topic of the annual meeting of Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), hosted this year by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. AFED Secretary General Najib Saab talked about the relation between Energy Pricing and Competitiveness. His conclusions concurred with those of researchers from the World Bank, OECD and Berlin University that realistic higher prices of energy, when applied in a just manner, trigger efficiency and innovation, and ultimately boost sustainable economy and better quality of life. Findings of AFED report on Financing SDGs were also discussed. OECD had participated in the latest AFED report and conference on Financing Sustainable Development. AFED is a founding member of the GGKP.

Topics discussed in the 3-day meeting covered green jobs and labour markets, effects of green growth on competiveness, social impacts of climate policies and green industrial strategies. Next meeting will be hosted by Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Seoul, Korea, in October 2019.

Saab also shared findings of AFED report with Edgar Gutiérrez-Espeleta, Former Minister of Environment in Costa Rica and President of the UN Environment Assembly in 2016 and 2017 (UNEA 2 and 3). The future of UNEP was discussed, as it stands at a crucial juncture, after the early departure of its former Executive Director Eric Solheim. 

(Photos: OECD/Andrew Wheeler)