Environmental Economics Policy Forum for Ethiopia (EEPFE) Research fellow Dr. Abebe Damte presented the Ethiopian Green Growth Strategy at the International Conference on “Sustainable Development, Social Welfare, and Structural Transformation: Does Green Economy Offer New Perspectives?” which was held in Dakar, Senegal from Nov 5-6, 2012. The conference aimed at assessing if the Green Economy offers new perspectives in the efforts targeting sustainable development in Africa.
This conference
was a post-RIO conference intended to develop national and regional strategies
spearheaded by decision-makers and based on adaptation and sustainable and fair
development experiences. It tried to question the prospects offered by the green economy and
governance to improve the welfare of the African populations, particularly the
most disadvantaged. It served
as an opportunity to put into perspective the preparation of the Sustainable
Development Goals, which will take over from the Millennium Development Goals
with effect from 2015.
The overall
objectives of the conference were to:
- Review
the RIO+20 declaration to grasp the opportunities and limits in the
preparation of national and regional sustainable development strategies; - Respond
to the need for a conceptualization of the green economy from an African
viewpoint and identify the levers of transformation of African economies
for a sustainable development; - Contribute
to the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals for Africa as well
as the key targets and measurement indicators - Exchange
the perspectives and agendas on the transformation of African economies
already underway in the African countries and at regional level and
prepare recommendations addressed to decision-makers.
It is to be recalled that Ethiopia pioneered in Africa by
launching a strategy for a Climate Resilient Green Economy in 2011. This was
marked as an excellent effort that could be replicated in other African
countries. Center Director and Senior Researcher of EEPFE, Dr. Alemu Mekonnen,
has represented the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) in the
development of this strategy along with other researchers and experts on the
issue. Various platforms have opened up to discuss and share experiences from
Ethiopia’s Green Economy strategy where EEPFE has been requested to present and
share this strategy.
This conference has presented a similar opportunity where
EEPFE was able to participate in sharing Ethiopia’s experiences for creating
national and regional strategies for sustainable development in Sudan.