Since the onset of COVID-19, the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) has made concerted efforts to contribute to the global response. The main objective of the GGKP’s response to the pandemic is to facilitate constructive contributions to global discussions on how to best respond to this crisis from an inclusive green economy perspective.
“The GGKP is uniquely positioned to engage three important communities – policy, business and finance – and highlight their critical role in this time of crisis,” said Ben Simmons, Head of the GGKP. “This effort aims to draw attention to their response efforts, to maximize immediate impacts, and to create opportunities for longer-term collaboration as we start the process of building back better.”
The GGKP’s contributions to the global conversation on COVID-19 have been focused on how to recover and rebuild sustainably, with an emphasis on inclusion, innovation and environmental sustainability. These contributions have come in the form of dedicated web spaces showcasing green response strategies from leading institutions on each of the GGKP’s platforms – Green Growth Knowledge Platform, Green Industry Platform and Green Finance Platform, COVID-19 edition newsletters and webinars.
#GGKPwebinar series: Sustainability after COVID-19
The 10-part #GGKPwebinar series Sustainability After COVID-19, which ran from April-July 2020, invited experts from leading institutions to discuss the impacts of the pandemic on issues ranging from poverty to gender, nature, supply chains, waste and the global Green New Deal movement.
Discussions centred on what it would take to achieve an inclusive, green recovery, including green fiscal stimulus packages, sustainable finance, green buildings and construction, public polices for inclusive green growth and more.
The conversation continued in the fall, with the ongoing Rebuilding Better series. Discussions thus far have focused on how training and education, material efficiency, green industrial policy, land restoration and improved mineral resource governance can support a green and just post-COVID world, and how governments can support businesses and workers throughout a just transition to greener economies.
COVID-19-related #GGKPwebinars generated a tremendous amount of interest in 2020, with over 7,000 participants engaging directly with more than 100 global experts in over 20 online discussions.
“We are committed to providing up-to-date information and insights into the global pandemic,” said Simmons. “GGKP’s focus on promoting an inclusive and sustainable economy is intended to complement and build on other organisations’ important efforts focused on health, labour, fiscal and other social and economic issues related to the COVID-19 response”.
