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State of Sonora, GGGI launch first sub-national Green Growth Cabinet in Mexico

 

Hermosillo, Sonora, November 9, 2017

Left to right: Ricardo Martínez, Minister of Infrastructure; Jose L Amaya, GGGI Mexico Associate; Alan Aguirre, Advisor; Enrique Lendo, Federal Ministry of the Environment (SEMARNAT); Mrs. Claudia Pavlovich, Sonora State Governor, Kikki Diaz Brown, State congresswoman; Natalia Rivera, Chief of the Executive’s Office. Credits: Government of Sonora

 

The state government of Sonora (Mexico) officially installed its Green Growth Cabinet today, further demonstrating the province’s commitment to be at the forefront of subnational green growth planning and implementation. Earlier in May 2017 the state Governor, Mrs. Claudia Pavlovich, and GGGI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop Sonora’s Green Growth Strategy. Both the Strategy and Cabinet are the first of their kind in the country.

The Sonora Green Growth Strategy consists of a vision, 4 objectives, 10 themes and 33 lines of action that will guide the state’s efforts towards a development trajectory that simultaneously seeks economic, environmental and social goals. Complementarily, a governance structure was developed by GGGI to institutionalize the current efforts, so that:

  1. ownership of the Strategy is extended to other relevant non-governmental actors (business, academia and NGOs);
  2. mechanisms to both monitor the Strategy’s goals and introduce political, financial, technical and regulatory innovations are in place, and
  3. the Strategy’s long-term continuity is ensured, transcending beyond the present administration.

    Governance structure for the Green Growth Strategy
    Credits: GGGI

Governance structure for the Green Growth Strategy Credits: GGGI

The recently installed Green Growth Cabinet (full infographic in Spanish here) is a key first step into the consolidation of the Green Growth Strategy’s governance. The Cabinet consists of the following state government officials:

  • Governor of Sonora
  • Chief of the Executive Office
  • Environmental Commissioner (Technical Secretary of the Green Growth Cabinet)
  • Minister of Economy
  • Minister of Social Development
  • Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Hydraulic Resources, Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development

    The Environmental Commissioner and Green Growth Cabinet’s Technical Secretary, Luis Carlos Romo, Governor Ms. Claudia Pavlovich and Enrique Lendo from the Federal Environmental Ministry (SEMARANAT)
    Credits: Government of Sonora

During the event, Luis Carlos Romo, head of the state’s Ecology and Sustainable Development Commission (CEDES), assumed the role of technical secretariat. The role is expected to lead the Green Growth Cabinet’s efforts, coordinating its peers (Advisory Council; working groups) around the discussion and implementation of the Green Growth Strategy initiatives. The Secretariat is expected to lead the socialization process and serve as a point of contact, facilitating the link with other relevant actors and stakeholders of the Strategy.

Enrique Lendo, head of the International Affairs Unit of the Federal Ministry of the Environment (SEMARNAT), congratulated the Government of Sonora for achieving both milestones: “(The state of) Sonora is a pioneer and has a unique green growth strategy in the country. A strategy of this kind puts the Government of Sonora at the forefront of the world, as a modern, progressive state that is willing to break paradigms”.

When installing and leading the first working meeting of the Green Growth Cabinet, Governor Pavlovich explained that caring for the environment and having an economic growth should not be considered isolated objectives: “It is time to take care of our environment while pursuing greater economic growth for our country and our state,” she said.

Despite its recent installation, the Cabinet can already be acknowledged for the Strategy’s first results: increased foreign investment flows for clean energy projects; increased water treatment and efficient, environmentally-friendly agriculture practices.

The installation of the Cabinet was received positively by ceremony attendants, which included members of the academia, private sector, NGOs and government agencies. The event was led by the Government of Sonora, with the supporting partnership of the Global Green Growth Institute.

 

 

Infographic for the Green Growth Cabinet
Credits: CEDES, GGGI