Global Green Growth Institute

Global Green Growth Institute

Assembly Member Nations
Abbreviation GGGI
Formation 16 June 2010
Headquarters Seoul, Republic of Korea
Council Chair
 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Director-General
 Yvo de Boer
Budget
 $35 million (2012)[1]
Staff
 100[2]
Website gggi.org @GGGI_Seoul

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international organization headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The organization aims to promote green growth, a growth paradigm characterized by a balance of economic growth and environmental sustainability. GGGI provides research and stakeholder engagement for green growth plans, especially in developing countries, aiming to replace the more typical paradigm based on industrial development.

The organization's vision states that, "GGGI was founded on the belief that economic growth and environmental sustainability are not merely compatible objectives; their integration is essential for the future of humankind,"[3] and their mission statement is, "GGGI is dedicated to pioneering and diffusing a new model of economic growth in developing and emerging countries, known as 'green growth,' that simultaneously targets key aspects of economic performance, such as poverty reduction, job creation and social inclusion, and those of environmental sustainability, such as mitigation of climate change and biodiversity loss and security of access to clean energy and water."[3] GGGI currently has 34 programs in 18 countries.[4]

History

GGGI was first launched as a think tank in 2010 by Korean President Lee Myung-bak,[3] and was later converted into an international treaty-based organization in 2012 at the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil.[5] In December 2013, GGGI was granted Observer Status by the United Nations General Assembly at the Conference of Parties (COP) in Warsaw in 2013.[6][7]

Activities

GGGI works to produce three major outcomes: adoption and implementation of green growth plans; provision of research for policymakers; and private sector engagement in the implementation of the national green growth plans. The organization uses three approaches to achieve these outcomes: Green Growth Planning & Implementation (GGP&I), Knowledge Development & Management (KDM), and Public-Private Cooperation (PPC).[4]

Green growth plans in developing countries

GGGI has worked to provide research and develop green growth plans for sixteen developing countries: Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.[8] On June 27, 2014, GGGI and the UN Environment Programme announced a new partnership to cooperate in promoting green growth strategies and action plans in countries around the world.[9]

Green Growth Knowledge Platform

On January 11, 2012, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between GGGI, the UNEP, OECD, and the World Bank to establish the Green Growth Knowledge Platform.[10] This signing was followed by the inaugural Green Growth Knowledge Platform conference in Mexico City.[10]

Governance structure

GGGI is governed by an Assembly made up of all 20 Member Countries, a Council made up of 17 Member Countries and 3 Non-state Actors, and a Secretariat. The President of the Assembly is former President of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo. The Council is Chaired by former President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Director-General of the Secretariat is the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2006-2010, Yvo de Boer.[2] De Boer's four-year term began on April 15, 2014.[2] The non-state actors in the institute are Montek Ahluwalia, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and Suh-Yong Chung.

GGGI has offices in Seoul, Abu Dhabi, Copenhagen, and London.

Member countries

The member countries of GGGI are Australia, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Guyana, Indonesia, Kiribati, Korea, Mexico, Mongolia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.[11] These members comprise the Assembly, and Guyana, Philippines, United Kingdom, and Cambodia comprise the Assembly Bureau.[11]

In 2013, GGGI was criticized by two member countries for its financial management: Norway withheld $10 million in donations, citing excessive spending on flights and food by GGGI Council Chairman Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and both Norway and Denmark demanded an audit of the organization's finances before renewing support for 2014.[12]

References

  1. ↑ O’Donnell, Jill Kosch. "The Global Green Growth Institute: On a Mission to Prove Green Growth". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Focus on low carbon technology, says former UN climate chief". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "About GGGI: Organizational Overview". Global Green Growth Institute. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "About GGGI: Programs & History". gggi.org. Global Green Growth Institute. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Green Growth for All: Converting the Global Green Growth Institute". United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Green Growth across the Globe". United Nations. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "GGGI Receives UN General Assembly Observer Status". PR Newswire. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "GGGI Activities: Countries". Global Green Growth Institute. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "GGGI inks preliminary deal with UNEP to promote green economy". Global Post. Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Global Organizations to Expand Cooperation on Green Growth for Development [Press Release]" (PDF). OECD. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "About GGGI: Assembly". Global Green Growth Institute. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Norway freezes aid to South Korean climate group". Associated Press. Retrieved 16 July 2014.

External links