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April 2017 Batumi Talk Show: Scoring SDGs through action on green economy and clean air

Following up on member States’ pledges to green their economies and to improve air quality across the region at the Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in Batumi, Georgia, last year, member States this week discussed progress in the implementation of these commitments and their relevance for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


In a talk show hosted by Marco Keiner, Director of the UNECE Environment Division and Jan Dusik, Director of the UN Environment Regional Office Europe, participants shared insights about their concrete voluntary commitments under the Batumi Initiative for Green Economy (BIG-E) and the Batumi Action for Cleaner Air (BACA). The two initiatives, launched at the Environment for Europe Conference, are tools to support countries to move towards greener and more inclusive economic patterns and to improve air quality. To date, about 30 countries and organizations have committed to actions under the two initiatives, which remain open for stakeholders to join.


During the talk show, entitled “Scoring SDGs through action on green economy and clean air”, Canada and UN Environment announced new actions under BACA, France and Kazakhstan presented new commitments under BIG-E. In addition, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland discussed steps they had taken in implementing their commitments made in Batumi. The Green Growth Knowledge Platform presented the BIG-E online platform.


The talk show was held on 27 April 2017 in Geneva on the margins of the sixty-seventh session of the Economic Commission for Europe, the UNECE governing body.

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