Green and Circular – Can it be Fair? Joining Forces for a Just Transition - Side event to the Summit of the Future

At the Summit of the Future in New York, world leaders adopt a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. The Pact covers a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance. In his address, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel stressed: "This Pact is a powerful catalyst to speed up our Sustainable Development Goals and to make progress on human rights, gender equality, and protecting our planet."  

A High Level Side Event explores the need to facilitate a just transition to more sustainable forms of consumption and production. The event "Green and Circular – Can it be Fair? Joining Forces for a Just Transition" will illustrate how this can be achieved, in part, through circular economy approaches, while ensuring that the social dimensions of the transition are adequately addressed.

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The discussion aligns with the long-term priorities identified by the Summit of the Future 2024 and the Pact of the Future. It evaluates the multifaceted challenges posed by the prevailing global crises on achieving a just, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable economic transformation. Speakers and participants will discuss solutions to accelerate a just green economic transformation including through green and circular economy approaches, innovative capacity and finance solutions, and partnerships for social and environmental justice.

Objectives of the event:

• Showcase inclusive solutions for advancing a just green economic transition including fiscal policies and repurposing of harmful subsidies through whole-of-government and whole-of-society policy frameworks;
• Advocate for integrated solutions within and across the agendas of the three Rio Convention COPs in 2024 and linked MEAs, and for the incorporation of green and circular considerations into national and sectoral policies;
• Provide a platform for South-South and Triangular Cooperation on green and circular economy for the just transition including from informal to formal sector livelihoods.

The event is organized jointly by a group of global green and circular economy initiatives including Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE), Green Fiscal Policy Network, GGKP, GEC, and the EU SWITCH to Green Facility.

Green and Circular – Can it be Fair? Joining Forces for a Just Transition, on Monday, 23 September 2024 - 5:00 – 7.30 (New York Time) 304 E 45^th St, FF-Building, Doha Room, 11^th Fl

Opening by Moderator:  Sofía Martínez, Global Policy Director, Green Economy Coalition

5-10’ Introductory Statements followed by moderated discussion:

Panel 1 - Invited Speakers: 

Finland - Pasi Hellman, Under-Secretary of State for Development Cooperation

Brazil - José Gilberto Scandiucci, Minister-Counsellor

Germany - Marcel Dorsch, Senior Scientist, Coordinator, Coalition for Digital Environmental 
                   Sustainability (CODES), and German Environment Agency 

Vietnam - Dr Nguyen Dinh Tho, Director General, Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural 
                  Resources and Environment, Ministry of Nature Resources and Environment 

Panel 2 - Invited Speakers:

Chatham House - Dr. Patrick Schröder, Senior Research Fellow

Indigenous Peoples Right Energy Partnership (REP), Malaysia - Adrian Lasimbang

Sustainability in the Digital Age - Micheline Ayoub, Executive Director

Wastezon, Rwanda - Ghislain Irakoze, CEO, Greenpreneur, Youth Leader

Circular Innovation Lab - Apoorva Arya, CEO

CLOSING REMARKS: 5’

UNITAR - Nikhil Seth, Executive Director

Green Economy Coalition - Sofía Martínez, Global Policy Director