Photo: Joel Patto
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First country to join PAGE In June 2013, Mongolia became be the first country to join the United Nations Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a major initiative to assist the global transition to a green economy. The initiative, between the UN Environment Programme, the UN Industrial Development Organization, the UN Institute for Training and Research, and the International Labour Organization is a direct response to the outcome document of the 2012 Rio+20 conference. The four UN agencies will provide a comprehensive suite of green economy services that will enable countries to transform their national economic structures to meet the growing demands and challenges of the 21st century. More specifically, PAGE will build enabling conditions in participating countries by shifting investment and policies towards the creation of a new generation of assets, such as clean technologies, resource-efficient infrastructure, wellfunctioning ecosystems, green skilled labour and good governance. PAGE will initially focus on seven pilot countries and then expand to assist 30 countries by 2020. Speaking at the National Implementation Workshop to Advance a Green Economy and Green Development in Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar in May 2014, Sanjaasuren Oyun highlighted the momentum in Mongolia to advance green development referring, in particular, to the Green Development Strategy, which she expected to be adopted by Parliament in June 2014. “Green economy and green development are not only the priority for the Ministry of Environment and Green Development, but are also becoming important for other ministries�, Minister Oyun stated, citing the construction of green and energy-efficient buildings as an example where the collaboration of government, the private sector and international partners such as PAGE can advance green development.
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