GGGI

ERP Specialist

Global Green Growth Institute — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:48:44 +0000

Organization: Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Post Date: 15 May 2013
Post Closing: 31 May 2013
Location: Seoul, Korea
Assignment: Fulltime
Position Number: GGGI-HR_13-607
Details/To apply: ERP Specialist

Finance Director

Global Green Growth Institute — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:48:09 +0000

Organization: Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Post Date: 15 May 2013
Post Closing: 31 May 2013
Location: Seoul, Korea
Assignment: Fulltime
Position Number: GGGI-HR_13-606
Details/To apply: Finance Director

3GF – GGGI partnership agreement signed

Global Green Growth Institute — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:49:58 +0000

Global Green Growth Forum and Global Green Growth Institute signed a partnership agreement on May 2nd 2013 in Copenhagen.

The agreement cements the already comprehensive cooperation going on between the two institutions sharing the same goal of contributing to global green growth. The agreement outlines further strengthening of cooperation around development of public-private partnerships that can promote the transition to a green pathway.

3GF will provide the primary platform for launching public-private partnerships initiated or otherwise developed by 3GI. Another important area will be 3GI using the 3GF as a platform for presenting and soliciting private sector and investor interest in financing green investments based on 3GI country plans. Finally, 3GF and 3GI will make joint outreach to the private sector including through a Joint 3GF/3GI Corporate Advisory Board to be launched later in 2013.

The Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) is a partnership with Denmark, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, China, Qatar and Kenya. It aims to build a multi-stakeholder platform with participation from both developed and developing countries to build new and enhanced partnerships with governments, private sector partners and investors in support of green growth planning and implementation work. GGGI’s focus is on the Green Growth and Cities project, which includes smart-cities development, adaptation cost-curves for cities and green growth opportunities, city planning and transportation, and local/bottom-up approaches to green- growth in cities. The results of this work will be fed into GGGI’s green growth planning and implementation work conducted in developing countries.

For more information contact: 3GF, Eva Grambye at +45 33920268/evagra@um.dk, and 3GI, Hans Jakob Eriksen at +45 46775104/hansjakob.eriksen@gggi.org

Treasury Specialist

Global Green Growth Institute — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:42:23 +0000

Organization: Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Post Date: 15 May 2013
Post Closing: 31 May 2013
Location: Seoul, Korea
Assignment: Fulltime
Position Number: GGGI-HR_13-605
Details/To apply: Treasury Specialist

Clean fuels top UAE’s green strategy

Global Green Growth Institute — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:38 +0000

ABU DHABI // Developing cleaner fuels and reducing the waste that ends up in landfills are among the aims of a green growth strategy being presented to the Cabinet.

Encouraging renewable energy is also in the plan, due to be submitted by the end of September.

The strategy will identify environmental objectives across seven sectors – oil and gas, water and electricity, transport, buildings, waste, industry and agriculture – and set goals to be achieved by 2021, 2030 and 2050, said Aisha Al Abdooli of the Ministry of Environment and Water, who is in charge of the strategy.

“The key objective is to integrate economic, social and environmental goals,” she said.

The Ministry of Environment is driving the effort in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Global Green Growth Institute.

Encouraging green growth aids the environment and would increase the UAE’s economic competitiveness, Ms Al Abdooli said.

The strategy is being developed in cooperation with 70 private and public bodies from the seven sectors, who were invited to provide feedback during a workshop earlier this year.

Renewable energy, cleaner fuels and energy-efficient technologies were among the topics discussed.

The strategy also hopes to encourage recycling and the creation of more waste-to-energy plants.

The latter are already being developed in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, Ms Al Abdooli said.

The document will be presented to industry figures during workshops this summer before being presented to the Cabinet by the end of September.

vtodorova@thenational.ae

Internship at Green Growth Planning & Implementation Department

Press Reports — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:15:52 +0000

Organization: Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Post Date: 09 May 2013
Post Closing: 19 May 2013
Location: Seoul, Korea
Assignment: Student Internship
Position Number: GGGI-HR_13-108
Details/To apply: Internship at Green Growth Planning & Implementation Department

A New World’s New Development Bank

Global Green Growth Institute — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:24:22 +0000

Nicholas Stern, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Amar Bhattacharya, and Mattia Romani

At the conclusion of their summit in Durban in March, the leaders of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) announced their intention to establish a New Development Bank aimed at “mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries.”

The significance of this decision cannot be overemphasized. For starters, it reflects the enormous successes in economic development during the last four decades (the BRICS’ aggregate GDP is now greater than that of the advanced countries when the Bretton Woods institutions were founded) and the rebalancing of global economic power that this implies. Indeed, the decision demonstrates the BRICS’ ability and willingness to work together, for their own benefit and for that of the entire world. Emerging markets and developing countries are taking the future into their own hands – at a time when rich countries are muddling through their own self-inflicted problems.

A new development bank is clearly needed. The infrastructure requirements alone in emerging-market economies and low-income countries are huge – 1.4 billion people still have no reliable electricity, 900 million lack access to clean water, and 2.6 billion do not have adequate sanitation. At the same time, an estimated two billion people will move to cities in the next quarter-century. And policymakers must ensure that the investments are environmentally sustainable.

To meet these and the other challenges confronting the developing world, infrastructure spending will have to rise from around $800 billion to at least $2 trillion annually in the coming decades. Otherwise, it will be impossible to achieve long-term poverty reduction and inclusive growth.

While the private sector can meet some of these needs, it can go only so far, especially given the nature of infrastructure projects’ risks, the huge upfront costs, and the high cyclical sensitivity of global financial markets. The funding gap is beyond what existing international financial institutions can meet – and the advanced countries’ malaise means that significant recapitalization is not in the cards. Annual infrastructure financing from multilateral development banks and overseas development assistance is likely to amount to no more than $40-60 billion, or 2-3% of projected needs.

A development bank anchored in emerging markets and developing countries can help to address this gap and become a powerful catalyst for change, both in the developing world and – through collaboration and example – in existing institutions. The world today is markedly different from the world at the time of the founding of the World Bank and many of the regional development banks. The BRICS’ proposed New Development Bank presents an important opportunity to reflect these changes, with modern financial instruments, strong governance, and a broad-based mandate.

For example, changes in financial markets (including the large amounts of money in sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds) provide opportunities for new development partnerships, which the New Development Bank can help to catalyze and orchestrate. So, too, should its deployment of a wide range of modern instruments enable it to meet the diverse range of project needs while ensuring adequate risk management.

The new bank should maximize its multiplier effects by sharing and reducing risk through collective action and “crowding in” other financing; by setting a powerful example in adopting innovative and cost-effective approaches; and through its policy and institutional impact beyond projects that it finances.

While the older institutions have attempted to adapt, their governance remains out of sync with today’s economic and political realities. The new bank’s governance structure has yet to be worked out, but it promises to be more consistent with contemporary best practices. Most important, the New Development Bank will give greater voice to the perspectives and interests of those in developing countries and emerging markets.

As with the outdated governance arrangements, conceptions of development that informed the existing multilateral institutions’ mandates are markedly different from modern development thinking. For example, there was no awareness of the challenge posed by climate change, and that all countries (including those in the developing world) must reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions and adapt to changes that will be particularly adverse to poor countries. Likewise, there was no comprehension of the innovation and opportunities entailed in pursuing more sustainable paths of inclusive economic growth.

Of course, the World Bank and the regional development banks now recognize such imperatives, and the New Development Bank should not relieve the developed countries of their responsibilities. But, with the shortfall of assistance from developed to developing countries, the new bank can provide essential help to developing countries and emerging markets as they undertake smarter and more sustainable infrastructure investment for growth and poverty reduction. Given the need to act quickly – and given the slowness with which the developed world has been responding – this new institution is all the more welcome.

The new bank can make a major contribution to the global economy’s health by facilitating the transition to new poles of growth and demand, helping to rebalance global savings and investments, and channeling excess liquidity to productive use. It will not only be a driver for sustainable growth in the developing and emerging world, but will also foster reform in the existing multilateral financial institutions – changes from which all of us, in the developed and developing world alike, will benefit.

Project Syndicate

Mattia Romani of GGGI speaks on green growth and the GGKP

Press Reports — Wed, 01 May 2013 01:22:00 +0000

Mattia Romani, Deputy Director-General and Chief Economist of GGGI speaks on green growth and GGGI’s participation in the GGKP. Interview conducted at the GGKP’s Second Annual Conference, held April 4-5 2013, in Paris France.

Climate-proofing our farmers and food supply

Global Green Growth Institute — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:45:08 +0000

When we observe Labor Day on Wednesday, let us remember our farmers—the backbone of our food supply. In our labor force, farmers are the most adversely affected by climate-related events, such as typhoons, due to their dependence on climate, poor economic condition, and high-risk areas. The challenge to us is to protect them, as well as our food supply, from climate change risks.

Addressing this challenge with insurance has become a topic of interest in the Asia-Pacific region. It is one of the climate change adaptation measures discussed at the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum held in Incheon, Korea, in March 2013. Our panel of speakers recognized that insurance cannot prevent the occurrence of climate change risks; but it can help the agriculture sector cope with losses and stay viable despite climate change.

What we are facing is a risk management challenge that requires an integrated strategy, that is, an Integrated Risk Communication, Assessment, and Management (Ircam) Strategy. Risk transfer through insurance is one measure under the last process—the risk management proper.

Risk communication has to be done first so that farmers will understand the risks that can affect them and the measures that they can take. In the government sector, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) lead in communication on climate-related risks affecting agriculture. In the private sector, our MAP Committee on Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CCSD) works with the TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) Foundation’s Information Caravan on Climate Change (IC3) in conducting risk communication aimed at various groups, including local community leaders. Several private organizations also conduct information, education, and communication activities on agricultural risks and insurance.

For effective risk communication, we must translate climate change and risk concepts into the language that farmers can understand. We must also overcome beliefs and cultural and sociological barriers on climate-related risks (“which are acts of God,” as some say) and the use of insurance (“which is a lack of faith” to some).

Government agencies that regularly conduct field operations can help in risk communication by incorporating climate change risks and insurance literacy in their programs. Banks, NGOs, and others can help, too.

Risk assessment is the weakest process in addressing risks from any source in all sectors. One major initiative here is that of the CCC, with the support of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), on designing Local Green Growth Development Plans in a few pilot communities. The work includes risk assessment activities, such as vulnerability assessments.

We expect the results of this and other similar risk assessment projects to be risk databases or risk profiles of the localities. Our recommendation is to upload them in a platform that is accessible to potential users—Local government units (LGUs), insurance companies, planners, policy and decision makers, and others. A good reference for risk profiling is the 2012 Philippine Exposure Map, produced by Dr. Laura David and her team from the UP Marine Science Institute and Pagasa. The map shows the exposure of different sectors to climate change risks—extreme heating events, extreme rainfall events, sea level rise, disturbed water budget, and increasing ocean temperature.

Risk profiles are basic inputs to risk management. Hence, I hope the GGGI, as well as our government, will provide more support to the CCC and others who can help expand the risk assessment to cover other localities as soon as possible. Credible risk and other technical experts, who can help generate reliable risk data, are needed for this work. At present, few professionals have advanced education on risk assessment, which requires consideration of uncertainties and knowledge of probability theory. Schools that offer science,engineering, and related courses could help by encouraging their students to study risk assessment and to consider risk profiling of communities as a research topic.

Risk management involves both mitigative and adaptive measures for coping with risks. They include improved or new systems and procedures and risk transfer through insurance. Ideally, risk transfer should be done after, or at least in parallel with, the improvement of systems and procedures.

One initiative to improve systems and procedures for climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector is the setting up of science and technology-based Conservation Farming Villages in Ligao City and a few other sites. The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development coordinates this initiative with the UP Los Baños.

Risk transfer is part of our national policy on climate change. The Climate Change Act of 2009 mandates the CCC to create an enabling environment for the design of relevant and appropriate risk-sharing and risk-transfer instruments, such as insurance. The National Climate Change Adaptation Plan for 2011 to 2028 also identifies as priorities the design and implementation of social protection and risk transfer mechanisms.

Life and medical insurance policies for farmers and others have long been available in the market. But crop insurance (for rice, corn, and high value commercial crops) started to be offered nationwide only after the creation of PCIC in 1978. Insurance for noncrop agricultural asset, livestock, and fisheries, as well as term insurance (for example, for agricultural producers protection) followed soon after. These insurance products cover a wide range of perils, such as natural disasters, pests, and diseases. So far, about 6 percent of rice farmers in the country are already enrolled in PCIC’s insurance program.

PCIC has also started to pilot-test parametric insurance (weather-index based insurance and area-based yield index insurance), which avoids costly and time-consuming assessment of damage as payout is based on the selected index, such as wind speed.

Although PCIC, with the government’s funding support, has been doing well in providing agriculture insurance, much work has yet to be done to cover the rest of our farmers. Hence, the private sector must actively participate in this effort. A few insurance companies, such as MicroEnsure, CLIMBS, and RIMANSI, also cover agricultural crops from climate change-related risks and have parametric or micro insurance programs. But the lack of policy and regulatory framework and enabling environment for parametric and micro-insurance hampers the growth of this type of insurance in terms of number of insurers, types of policies offered, and crops covered. This basic issue needs to be addressed by our policy makers in order to encourage other insurance companies to be involved in protecting our farmers and their crops through insurance.

One recommendation from the private sector towards a strong agricultural insurance market is to limit government’s subsidized insurance program to marginalized farmers and to the crop industry that is in bad economic shape. Another recommendation is to have a “level-playing field,” by simplifying and reducing the taxes and fees imposed on micro insurance companies so that their policies will not be more expensive than PCIC’s subsidized and tax-free policies.

Another recommendation is to increase the number of insured farmers and crops. To make this happen LGUs could help by including agriculture insurance in their programs and by extending premium subsidies to their marginalized farmers. Davao del Norte’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan is leading in this effort by approving the enrollment of up to 2000 hectares of farmland with PCIC.

Insurance can help climate-proof farmers and our food supply. But it must also go hand in hand with other sustainable development strategies, such as the use of improved technology.

(The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author, president of EARTH Institute Asia, chairs MAP’s Climate Change and Sustainable Development Committee and heads the TOWNS Foundation’s IC3 Team. An engineer-economist and risk analyst, she is participating in the policy research on crop insurance of the Asia-Pacific Adaptation Network and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan. Her research, on which this brief article is based, has received inputs from policy and decision makers in the agriculture and insurance industries, and from farmers who participated in a survey on insurance. Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. For previous articles, visit .)

Read the original article by Dr. Cora Claudio in the Philippines Daily Inquirer here

GGGI Co-hosts Energy-Efficient Building Code Workshop 2013 in Kigali

Global Green Growth Institute — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 02:07:08 +0000

The panel (from left): Vincent Kitio (UN-Habitat), Esther Mutamba (Rwanda Housing Authority), Okju Jeong (GGGI), and Feng Liu (World Bank)

KIGALI – April 24 -26, 2013 -The Global Green Growth Institute, in collaboration with UN-Habitat and the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), co-hosted the Energy-Efficient Building Code (EEBC) Workshop 2013 in Kigali, Rwanda from April 24 to 26. The three-day event was attended by more than 60 participants, including international experts on energy, urban planning and architecture, as well as policymakers from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and representatives from West Africa. The workshop was organized to provide a forum in which African government could discuss and consult with experts on issues related to energy efficiency provisions in their building code.

Energy efficiency provisions in building codes are viewed as increasingly important in developing countries – including East Africa –because their national power supply lags far behind demand, and buildings account for a significant part of total energy consumption. The rising rate of urbanization in these countries is another major cause of the increasing energy demand.

GGGI’s presentation focused on one of its ongoing projects in Rwanda – “Framework for Energy-Efficient Building Code” – which aims to assist Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) officials who have been tasked with preparing the country’s building code. GGGI will provide the necessary expertise to Rwandan legislators via a model code with detailed explanations on the statute’s structure, rationale of its key provisions, and underlying policy considerations. The Workshop concluded with the drafting of the Kigali Declaration on Mainstreaming Energy Efficiency in Building Codes, Building Polices and Building Regulations.