July, Colombia – GGGI brought together over 300 attendees hailing from the Regional Governments (Meta, Antioquia and Nariño), the public sector, and the private sector, for three separate consultative workshops around GGGI’s flagship “Green Growth Potential Assessment” (GGPA) Evaluation tool. This is a tool used to evaluate regional performance in terms of resource-use efficiency, natural capital preservation, resilience to climate change and social inclusion. The GGPA is vital for facilitating green growth planning, as it provides much-needed indicators for sustainable development activities.
During the events, GGGI presented their research outcomes on the four dimensions of green growth in each region before asking participants for their expert opinion. Based on the evidence presented, attendees collaborated in a participatory workshop to select 5 priority focus points for achieving green growth, as outlined for each department below:
Meta: Deforestation reduction, preservation of biodiversity, innovation and technological modernization, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the promotion of renewable energies.
Nariño: Deforestation reduction, agricultural productivity, preservation of biodiversity, water quality and productivity, production and use of renewable energy and recycling.
Antioquia: Deforestation reduction, agricultural productivity, biodiversity, vulnerability to Climate Change and poverty.
This GGPA tool will be quite valuable to inform candidate´s programs in the upcoming elections next October and as a basis for the elaboration of the new development plan for this region under the new administration that will be sworn into office in January of 2020. The GGPA contributes to a better understanding of challenges inherent to local-level green growth policy design and interventions, while highlighting potential solutions. The priority areas derived from these workshops will enable greater precision of focus for future green growth planning—something of particular value given the sheer breadth of issues decision-makers must consider. Ultimately, both the research and the workshops serve to inform local planning efforts and promote green investment.
