UNIDO and the European Union work with six Eastern partner countries to support the development of circular economy and new growth opportunities

The new “European Union for Environment” (EU4Environment) programme was inaugurated in the presence of high-level representatives from Eastern Partner countries, European Union Member States, European Union institutions and international partners, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The six Eastern countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – are committed to actively implement the Sustainable Development Goals and other international commitments, including those tackling climate change under the Paris Agreement.

“Our cooperation on environment with the Eastern Partner countries is stronger than ever and is already bringing tangible benefits to the daily lives of citizens across the region”, said Katarína Mathernová, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission. “We are working together to increase our joint ambition to tackle environmental protection and climate challenges; today’s meeting has brought all partner together to agree on the next steps forward”.

The EU4Environment programme builds on the achievements of past EU-funded initiatives, which brought important contributions to policy developments and enterprise-level measures. UNIDO will continue to promote and strengthen national capacities to enable SMEs in switching to a Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production, along with identifying opportunities that can support the creation of circular value chains and the promotion of Eco-Industrial Parks.

“SMEs in the region are often unaware of the many financially-attractive opportunities for environmental improvements”, said UNIDO Poject Manager Carolina Gonzalez. “UNIDO will continue to scale-up the RECP approach to new sectors, revealing that producing green is a win-win strategy for the economies and the environment”.

The event provided the opportunity for all partners to agree on country-specific work plans to improve and implement policies that can spur an environmentally-friendly economic growth, and enhance societies’ resilience and citizens’ well-being.

Original source: UNIDO
Published on 28 June 2019