This manual offers guidance on implementing a green economy approach to sustainable development, and comes at a unique moment in time when many countries and organizations are looking at the potential of bringing sustainability concerns into the heart of economic policy.
The manual contributes to the ongoing discussion on green economy in three ways. It clarifies the original starting point of UNEP’s “green economy approach” to sustainable development—an approach that emphasizes the reform and mobilization of investment for delivering more sustainable development. It takes the evolving Sustainable Development Goals as the starting point for any target-driven green economy policy process, and it brings together two major technical components for green economy related policy analysis: indicators and modelling tools. A Guidance Manual for Green Economy Policy Assessment first responds to the call by Heads of State at Rio+20 for the United Nations system to provide interested countries with methodologies to enable assessment of green economy policies. This keystone piece, released in conjunction with two supporting publications on indicators and modelling, shows in a step-wise manner how to prioritise sustainable development goals and targets, how to estimate the investment required for achieving them, and what policies need to be put in place to mobilize the investment and enhance its effectiveness, ensuring an equitable transition for all.