Green Jobs for Youth Pact
GO4SDGs is accelerating the implementation of the Green Jobs for Youth Pact at the regional level in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central Asia and Europe, West Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. This is through fostering regional partnerships, responding to regional priorities, and leveraging existing tools, guidelines and knowledge from pact partners (UNEP, ILO and UNICEF).
GO4SDGs is supporting the regional implementation of the Green Jobs for Youth pact through:
- Partnering with strategic implementing partners to deliver tailored support to countries and sectors responding to regional needs. This work includes partnership with Jacobs Ladder Africa to support the Kenyan government develop a green jobs hub, green jobs index and a green jobs coordination framework. In Asia Pacific, GO4SDGs promotes green jobs and skills development through a national dialogue. In partnership with ILO and UNESCO GO4SDGs supported a national workshop in China to
- Promoting youth entrepreneurship and green skills through initiatives such as the LowCarbon earth accelerator (LCE) jointly implemented with Massive Earth foundation, EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Programme (EmPower), the Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership, and the Mekong Plastics Project. LCE offers training, mentorship and funding opportunities to climate tech startups in Asia Pacific. The accelerator is currently in its 4th season. Learn more and apply to join here
- Fostering youth engagement through youth networks and alliances such as the Alliance of Ibero American Networks of Universities for Sustainability and the Environment (ARIUSA), Children youth and major groups to UNEP and the green jobs for youth pact youth advisory group.
- Advocacy and awareness raising through dialogues, webinars, conferences. This includes presentation of the green jobs for youth pact in high level forums including The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), UNEA 6 youth and COP28 to senior leaders, government officials and civil society.
Sustainable Lifestyles
GO4SDGs is supporting the implementation of UNEA 6 resolution on sustainable lifestyles. This is through a series of activities around the globe including in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus, Latin America and the Caribbean and West Asia.
GO4SDGs is:
- Leveraging tools such as the Sustainable Lifestyles Academy, green nudges and “My Sustainable Living Challenge” to build capacity of youth to adopt sustainable lifestyles by offering scholarships and supporting awareness campaigns. In 2024, GO4SDGs is offering 2000 scholarships for the My sustainable living challenge 2024
- Fostering partnerships and information exchanges among universities e.g. through the Sustainable Lifestyles University network in Central Asia and Caucasus and through the Alliance of Ibero American Networks of Universities for Sustainability and the Environment (ARIUSA)
- Raising awareness through media campaigns and activations, webinars and conferences
- Promoting the integration of sustainable lifestyles in the education sector through networks such as the Sustainable Lifestyles University network in Central Asia and Caucasus and through the Alliance of Ibero American Networks of Universities for Sustainability and the Environment (ARIUSA) in Latin America and the Caribbean. GO4SGDs is also creating linkages between green skills and jobs and sustainable lifestyles through the work of the green jobs for youth pact.
Circularity in food
GO4SDGs is working to increase regional capacities and initiatives on food systems and food waste reduction through:
- Fostering partnerships to raise awareness and inspire behaviour change among the consumers and hospitality industry through campaigns such as the Recipe of Change campaign in West Asia. This work includes the green Ramadan campaign in partnership with Hilton Hotels and Winnow AI technology across 32 hotels in UAE.
- Leveraging regional peer-to-peer knowledge networks to exchange ideas and share best practices. In partnership with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and One Planet Network Programme on Sustainable Food Systems GO4SDGs has established regional food waste working groups in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West Asia
Circularity in textiles
GO4SDGs is building capacity for designers and stakeholders in the fashion and textiles sector including governments and SME's to gain knowledge and skills on promoting circularity in fashion and textile value chains.
GO4SGDs is offering training for young designers through the West Asia Sustainable Fashion Academy (WASFA). Through using tools like the Sustainable fashion communication playbook GO4SDGs is working to raise awareness on fashion circularity. Similarly, through participation in high-level events such as the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) conference GO4SDGs is strengthening advocacy efforts among decision makers.
Circularity in tourism
GO4SDGs is raising ambition on standards and certification for sustainable tourism in Africa and Central Asia.
GO4SDGs in collaboration with the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, Ecotourism Kenya, Tourism Federation, and the East Africa Tourism Platform is supporting the development of Harmonized Sustainable Tourism Standards for East Africa. The standards aim to enhance effective sustainability planning, maximize social and economic benefits for the local communities, preserve cultural heritage, and reduce environmental impacts
GO4SDGs is supporting Central Asian countries in the development and adoption of harmonized certification standards. These standards align with the UNEP/UNWTO Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Change in Tourism.
GO4SDGs also supports the hospitality sector institutions to enhance their skills and knowledge on sustainable tourism principles and standards through targeted training programs.
In Jyrgalan, Kyrgyzstan, and Assureti, Georgia, GO4SDGs has implemented pilot projects to promote the recycling of single-use plastic waste. These initiatives have not only fostered sustainable tourism but also created green jobs for youth and women. Local municipalities in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia have identified and reserved locations for waste collection points, equipped with the necessary infrastructure. Waste containers for segregated collection have been installed, and local guest houses have been trained to incorporate circular practices in tourism.
Financing circularity
GO4SDGs is strengthening partnerships sustainable finance in Africa, Central Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
In Africa, GO4SDGs is scaling up innovation and financial mechanisms by bringing together partners in agri-food value chains with finance and resource efficient and cleaner production (RECP) experts. This work includes a finance-ecosystem pilot project to promote resource efficiency and cleaner production (RECP) in SMEs operating in the dairy and tea value chains in Kenya.
In partnership with UNEP-FI, GO4SDGs has launched the Principles of Responsible Banking training Central Asian banks. Contextualized training modules have been developed to advance the skills and knowledge of Central Asian banks, promoting circular practices at a regional level.
GO4SDGs is also raising awareness and building capacity for sustainable public procurement through working groups and series of trainings and webinars tailored for the public sector in Central Asia and Caucasus.
