Building Back Better: A Greener Pathway to COVID Recovery in Africa

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT:

Over the last two decades, Africa experienced an average annual GDP growth of 4.6% and, this growth rate is expected to be sustained until 2022. However, the COVID -19 pandemic has greatly eroded these gains resulting in livelihoods disruption because of food insecurity, lack of medical supplies, loss of income and a looming debt crisis. The unprecedented impacts of the pandemic have inevitably slowed progress towards achieving SDGs in the continent.

On the optimistic side, the pandemic recovery effort presents an excellent opportunity to reset the economy (rethink, re-skill, re-strategize, re-tool) where appropriate by ensuring a more inclusive, sustainable and low-carbon development pathway. It is therefore essential to ensure that Africa’s economic recovery is well integrated and closely aligned with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

The continent has an opportunity to build back better by embracing a greener pathway to COVID-19 recovery. One key transformational action to achieve this is by aligning circular economy approaches to existing inter-governmental process on environmental sustainability per the 15th AMCEN 2019 decision on circular economy and, the regional implementation mechanism of circular economy in Africa as outlined in the African Green Stimulus Package Programme2 that was endorsed during the 8 th Special Session AMCEN meeting in 2020.

This event, organised by the UN Environment Programme, aims at discussing what a common approach to building back better through a greener pathway to COVID19 recovery should look like, and offering an opportunity for countries to share lessons on policies and strategic approaches towards COVID-19 recovery.

THEMATIC TOPICS:

• Greener pathway using Circular Economy approach in Africa (experience from South Africa)
• Reviving tourism in Africa through green business models (private sector development)
• Strategic approach to sustainable development in the era of pandemic recovery (international practices- European Union)
• Re-defining industrialization in Africa using a circular economy and life cycle approach (African Roadmap on SCP)

STRATEGIC PARTNERS:

• Regional partner: UNECA
• International partner: European Union
• SWITCH Africa Green participating countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda
• Other strategic partnerships/networks: African Roadmap on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP) and National Cleaner Production Centres of Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and South Africa

MODERATOR: Mdm. Margaret Oduk, UNEP, Addis Ababa Office 

SPEAKERS:

• Ms Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, Director and Regional Representative for Africa, UNEP
• Mr Thibaut Portevin, Policy Officer for Green Economy, the European Commission
• James Murombezi Senior Political Affairs Officer, UNECA 
• Ms. Letitia Nyaaba, Deputy Director, Ghana National Cleaner Production Centre
• Mr. Venkama Avinash, SWITCH Africa Green Grantee / Entrepreneur
• Dr. Jenitha Badul, Senior Policy Advisor, National Department of Environment, Fisheries and Forestry (DEFF), South Africa

For More information : CONCEPT NOTE |    One-Pager : in English | in French

Join the ZOOM Meeting using this link : https://zoom.us/j/91049329460?pwd=OHR2eHMyS0Z1ZXdOMWFhSVNsRnNOZz09

Meeting ID : 910 4932 9460 | Password: 651610