Dear friends and colleagues,

As a year of tremendous development comes to an end, we would like to  take a moment to express our gratitude for your support for the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership in 2019 and take stock of all that we have achieved together. 

First and foremost, the Green Industry Platform and the Green Finance Platform were launched in July 2019 by UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen at the High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development.  The launch took place at Fast, Fair and Green, which challenged global leaders to think through how to create an economic transition fast, fair, and green enough to achieve the SDGs.

More recently, the GGKP and the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System launched the  Green Finance Measures Database at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 25) in Madrid. The database maps almost 400 national and sub-national policy and regulatory measures on green finance around the world, going beyond previous databases that focus on a specific issue area, industry theme or industry sector. 

Early this year, the GGKP and partners convened thought leaders from government, business, academia and civil society for a High-level Media Debate broadcast live on CNBC Africa on the need to integrate natural capital and social capital into national wealth accounting. The discussion continued at the  2019 World Economic Forum with an emphasis on the role of business in the transition to a green economy.

In 2019, the Seventh GGKP Annual Conference  brought together energy sector experts, practitioners and academics to explore inclusive green approaches to modernizing our energy systems. The conference took place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 21-22 October 2019, as part of the Global Green Growth Week (GGGW) 2019.

We are proud to report that the GGKP Expert Working Group on Natural Capital made important strides towards mainstreaming natural capital approaches in green growth, supporting the  first-ever OECD Green Growth Policy Review with natural capital  as a major focus.

The GGKP also took part in the 2019 Batumi Talk Show, Greening the economy and cleaning the air, which showcased  green economy  success stories in the context of the Batumi Initiative on Green Economy (BIG-E). The BIG-E database on the Green Growth Knowledge Platform hosts the 124 commitments made under BIG-E.

Finally, 2019 marked the launch of the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership - the GGKP - the umbrella initiative under which the Green Growth Knowledge Platform, Green Industry Platform and Green Finance Platform will operate.

We thank you again for your continued partnership and look forward to working with you in 2020 and beyond!

GGKP Secretariat
2019 At A Glance
Two New Platforms Offer the Latest on Green Industry and Green Finance 
The Green Industry Platform and the Green Finance Platform were launched this year at the High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York. These platforms provide the financial and private sectors with the latest research, data, guidance, and tools from leading experts and institutions to help green their operations.

"The green economy offers tremendous opportunity for businesses, financial institutions, governments, and people - it is the economy of the future," said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UN Environment. "Quick and easy access to the latest knowledge and innovation is critical to ensuring we are able to build on good practices that already exist and ensure even greater benefits for nature and people."

Green Finance Measures Database Maps Almost 400 Policies and Regulations
The Green Finance Measures Database  launched by the GGKP and the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System  at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 25) in Madrid maps almost 400 national and sub-national policy and regulatory measures  that support the development of green finance  around the world.

"This type of analysis can help public authorities learn from others' experiences, raise ambition and strengthen understanding of how their actions are leading to positive changes,"  said UNEP's Jeremy McDaniels, who developed the database alongside Green Finance Platform Manager Camille Andre. 

The GGKP Expert Working Group on Natural Capital made major strides towards mainstreaming natural capital in green growth in 2019. Perhaps most notably, as a result of  the first-ever national Green Growth Policy Review with a major focus on natural capital , key policy recommendations were adopted by OECD member states and four Indonesian government ministries.  The group also compiled a comprehensive set of natural capital policy use cases, developed a Natural Capital Indicators Framework (NCIF), and worked directly with country governments in Africa and Central and South Asia towards better accounting and management of natural capital.

Seventh GGKP Annual Conference Calls for Action on Sustainable Energy
The Seventh GGKP Annual Conference brought together energy sector experts, practitioners and academics to explore new approaches to modernizing our energy systems that will accelerate and diversify economies, create green jobs, increase productivity and competitiveness, and reduce poverty. The conference took place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 21-22 October 2019, as part of the Global Green Growth Week (GGGW) 2019.

"This knowledge base and global network of professionals is a driving force for well-informed action and investment in a smart energy transition that ensures that no one is left behind," said Mr. Ban Ki Moon, President and Chair of GGGI in his opening statement.

 "What is Wealth?" High-level Media Debate Broadcast Live on CNBC Africa
The GGKP and partners convened thought leaders from government, business, academia and civil society in Cape Town, South Africa, for a High-level Media Debate centered on the question, "What makes your country wealthy?"  Moderator  Nozipho Mbanjwa , Anchor of CNBC Africa Financial and Fellow of the African Leadership Institute, kept panellists on their toes with thought-provoking questions, including, perhaps, the most pressing question: "If not GDP, then what?"  The debate was broadcast live on CNBC Africa.

The panel featured Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International; Nozipho January-Bardill, Chairperson of the UN Global Compact Local Network SA and Non-Executive Director of Anglogold Ashanti, Credit Suisse Securities, and Mercedes Benz SA; Cameron Hepburn, Director of the Smith School at the University of Oxford; and Honourable Dr Mary Goretti Kitutu, Minister for Environment of Uganda. 

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About the GGKP
The Green Growth Knowledge Partnership ( GGKP ) is a global community of organisations and experts dedicated to providing the policy, business and finance communities with knowledge, data, guidance and tools to transition to an inclusive green economy through the policy-focused Green Growth Knowledge Platform, Green Industry Platform and Green Finance Platform. The GGKP is led by the Global Green Growth Institute ( GGGI ), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ), United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and World Bank Group .