Documents and materials

Batumi Initiative on Green Economy (BIG-E)

The UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy adopted the Pan-European Strategic Framework for Greening the Economy (En / Fr / Ru) for submission to the Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference as an outcome to be endorsed. Ministers at the Conference will be invited to endorse the Pan-European Strategic Framework for Greening the Economy –– a tool supporting countries’ efforts in transitioning to green economy and at the same time contributing to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) –– and to commit to implementing it.

Furthermore, the Committee welcomed the Batumi Initiative on Green Economy (BIG-E) included in the annex to the Strategic Framework, and invited interested Committee members and observers to submit voluntary commitments to the BIG-E, preferably by Monday, 9 May 2016.

The BIG-E operationalizes the Strategic Framework during the period 2016–2030. It will comprise voluntary commitments by interested countries and organizations, both public and private (BIG-E stakeholders), in the form of green economy actions. Together, the committed actions will constitute the BIG-E, which will be launched at the Batumi Ministerial Conference during a festive ceremony on 9 June 2016.

To harmonize the submission of actions, a template is included in an appendix to Strategic Framework (En / Fr / Ru). The list of possible green economy actions (En / Ru) could be used as reference in preparing the commitments.

Countries and organizations are invited to identify and voluntarily commit green economy actions under one or several focus areas, for instance to incentivize green investments and trade or green consumption habits in order to advance the transition to an inclusive green economy. It is proposed that each BIG-E stakeholder commit about five green economy actions in time for the Batumi Ministerial Conference.

Selection criteria to guide the identification of green economy actions are whether they:
    (a)    Are expected to deliver economic benefits with environmental and social co benefits;
    (b)    Include a mixture of new and ongoing initiatives;
    (c)    Will make a clear contribution to the achievement of SDG targets;
    (d)    Will have a measurable impact over time;
    (e)    Will be a driver for transformation and innovation towards green economy that may be relevant to and inspire other countries in the region.

In order to simultaneously contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (En / Fr / Ru), each green economy action within the BIG-E should be linked to the specific SDG targets to which it also contributes.  Such an approach will help ensure the advancement of green economy in the region in support of Agenda 2030.

Voluntary commitments by countries and other stakeholders will be posted below, as well as compiled into a document.

Voluntary commitments submitted to BIG-E under the pan-European Strategic Framework for Greening the Economy

Austria (En)

Azerbaijan (En)

Belarus (En)

Croatia (En)

Estonia (En)

Finland (En)

Georgia (En)

Germany (En)

Hungary (En)

Italy (En)

Kazakhstan (En)

Kyrgyzstan  (Ru / En)

Latvia (En)

Lithuania (En)

Luxembourg (Fr)

Netherlands (En)

Poland (En)

Portugal (En)

Republic of Moldova (En)

Romania (En)

Slovenia (En)

Sweden (En)

Switzerland (En)

Uzbekistan (En / Ru)

CAREC (En)

Cittadellarte-Pistoletto Foundation (En)

European Eco-Forum (En)

Regional Environmental Centre for Caucasus (En)

Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (En)

Green Growth Knowledge Platform (En)

GOF47/UNEP/GRI (En)

IPEN-IEE-Eco Forum (En)

IRP/UNEP (En)

OECD (En)

UNECE (En)

UNEP (En)

Batumi Action for Cleaner Air (BACA)

The Committee invited interested Committee members and observers to submit voluntary commitments to the initiative, preferably by Monday, 9 May 2016.

Governments and other stakeholders are invited to choose appropriate actions from the list of possible actions, as presented in the Batumi Action for Cleaner Air, in accordance with their country-specific needs and with a view to undertaking a voluntarily commitment to implementing them. The Batumi Action for Cleaner Air was launched at the Batumi Ministerial Conference on 9 June by celebrating the commitments made. The initiative remains open for additional and further commitments until 2018 and beyond.

Voluntary commitments by Governments and other stakeholders are posted below, as well as compiled into a document (En).

Note: The completed template for each voluntary commitment should be submitted, if possible by 9 May 2016, to the secretariat by email 

Armenia (En)

Austria (En)

Azerbaijan (En)

Belarus (En)

Belgium (En)

Croatia (En)

Czech Republic (En)

Estonia (En)

France (En)

Georgia (En)

Germany (En)

Hungary (En)

Italy (En)

Latvia (En)

Lithuania (En)

Netherlands (En)

Poland (En)

Portugal (En)

Republic of Moldova (En)

Romania (En)

Slovenia (En)

Spain (En)

Sweden (En)

Switzerland (En)

United States of America (En)

Uzbekistan (En / Ru)

Nordic Council of Ministers (En)

Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (En)

UNECE (En)

Find out more about UNECE Environment activities supporting the achievement of SDGs in the information document on Mapping of the Environment subprogramme processes and activities that support countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (En / Fr / Ru) as well as in the following pamphlets:

SDG 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere (En)

SDG 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (En)

SDG 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (En)

SDG 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (En)

SDG 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (En)

SDG 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all (En)

SDG 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation (En)

SDG 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (En)

SDG 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (En)

SDG 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss (En)

SDG 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (En)

All participants are requested to register on-line (if you do not have yet a user account with the UNECE on-line registration tool, you will need to open an account) preferably before 29 February 2016 and no later than 15 March 2016.