The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is a flagship UN inter-Agency (UNIDO, UNITAR, ILO, UNEP and UNDP) programme to support participating countries to transition to an inclusive green economy. In Ghana's context, PAGE is supporting the country's efforts to fully integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and internalize Ghana's commitment to the global climate change agenda through its Nationally Determined Contributions (Gh-NDCs) in development planning processes using the decentralized governance system in the country within the context of the National Development Policy Framework.
One of the key ways of doing this is to support capacity strengthening at the decentralized governance levels, building on on-going processes led by the National Development Planning Commission on supporting localization of the SDGs by developing and supporting the use of a manual for alignment of planning processes of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to the SDGs and GH-NDCs.
Working with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) contracted a consultant to develop the manual, validating initial findings and draft manual with Regional Economic Planning Officers and Regional Statisticians and officials of GSS, NDPC and MESTI to review and refine the manual. The manual was also piloted with 10 MMDAs in the three northern regions.
This manual, Mainstreaming Climate Change and Green Economy Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the Development Plans of MMDAs, in addition to several useful documents on mainstreaming principles and elements of green economy in development planning processes, will resource and capacitate the MMDAs, central government and other actors to push Ghana's drive to transition to an inclusive green economy.