Events

October 2009
1st Global Network Conference on RECP in Luzerne
October 2011
2nd Global Network Conference on RECP in Nairobi
September 2013
3rd Global Network Conference on RECP in Montreux
October 2015
4th Global Network Conference on RECP in Davos
 

UNEA-2 SIDE EVENT – Eco-Innovation and SMEs bring Business Opportunities in the 2030 Agenda

IMG_3619Green Room Events MeetingThe second edition of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) was held from 23-27 May 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Assembly’s central theme was “Delivering on the Environmental Dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and aimed to reflect the latest global, regional and national developments in environment-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNEA-2 featured a number of high-level events including the “Small and Medium Enterprises’ Contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” side-event, held on 24 May 2016. The event, organized by the joint UNEP and UNIDO Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Network (RECPnet) was opened by Mariano Castro, Vice Minister of Environment in Peru and Ning Liu, Deputy Permanent Representative to UNEP in China. Through practical examples, speakers outlined how RECPnet represents an effective delivery mechanism for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It does so by promoting sustainable practices in SMEs and their value chains through technical service delivery and policy advocacy.

IMG_3609Green Room Events MeetingSpeakers included Jacqueline Odanga-Kegode (UNIDO National Programme Officer in Kenya), Emmanuelle Maire (Unit Chief of the General Direction of Environment at the European Union), Marcos Alegre (Director of the Eco-efficiency and Corporate responsibility Centre in Peru) and Jane Nyakang’o (Director of the Kenya National Cleaner Production Centre). They underlined the enormous economic and employment contribution of SMEs in developing economies and their indispensable role for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Eco-innovation was described as a key transversal strategy to facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The speakers stressed the need to incentivize business sector- particularly SME – buy-in to eco-innovation. The speakers also showcased case studies from in Kenya, Colombia and Peru about resource efficient and cleaner production activities.

 

Backing the agenda of UNEA-2, the participating organizations committed to the following programme of actions:

  • Accelerate clean technology transfer and eco-innovation dissemination to developing countries involving SMEs;
  • Establishing solid multisector alliances/platforms with governments, agencies, private sector and national executing agencies; and,
  • Creating or reinforcing funding to support business based on eco-innovation principles for SMEs.