27 March 2017, Berlin, Germany – Around 40 ministers, CEOs, high-level representatives of UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations and trade unions as well as more than 300 sustainable development experts meet in Berlin today for the second global forum on green economy. They are joined by renowned economists, including Jeffrey Sachs and Pavan Sukhdev, to explore ways of fighting inequalities and environmental degradation, based on the transformational goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

During the two-day event, they will discuss the root economic causes of the growing exploitation of natural resources, climate change and pollution. They will also look at the increasing inequalities which are giving rise to radical populism in many parts of the world.

The second conference of the Partnership for Action on Green Economy – an alliance of five UN agencies, namely UN Environment, ILO, UNDP, UNIDO, and UNITAR, and 11 countries – is being hosted by the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

“We don't have to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy: we can have both,” said UN Environment head, Erik Solheim. “Regardless of current politics, the irreversible global trend is to make our economies cleaner, fairer and more stable. What we need now is a great acceleration – a new green revolution – to make sure we achieve inclusive green economy while there is still enough green to go around.”

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