A Green Economy & Sustainable Development for Timor-Leste

Content of this Presentation

I. Background Information on Rio+20

Why Rio+20 is important

II. The Concept of Sustainable Development

Definition of SD

Principal Objectives & Pillars of SD Indicators & Measures of SD

III. The Concept of Green Economy

Why does Timor-Leste need to adopt a Green Economy approach? What are the current pressures for Timor-Lestes sustainable future? Alleviating Poverty through Sustainable Development

IV. Strategies towards SD and Timor-Lestes Development Pathway What is National Sustainable Development Strategies and its principles? TLs Development Pathway Conceptual Framework for SD Key Sectors involved in promoting SD Steps taken in TL towards SD TLs challenges and advantages to achieve SD V. The Way Forward Group Discussion

What today is about ?

Timor-Leste is attending Rio+20 in June 2012 Interviews with stakeholders are completed A Final Stocktaking Report will be developed based on

interviews and this consultation The outcomes of this preliminary workshop will feed into the Final Report The Final Report will be submitted to the Rio+20 conference New opportunities for Timor-Leste to access technical and financial support for SD

Background Information
Since 1972, every 10 years the United Nations facilitates world high level

conferences on environment and human development and how to achieve both of them at the same time (without one damaging the other).

United Nations Conference on SD 1992 & Rio+20. 172 Heads of State

gathered to talk about how to reduce environmental degradation while increasing human wellbeing
Island Development States (SIDS) countries rapidly & in fully by 2015 require int. support; each government of SIDS have to take the lead in the path towards SD in their countries.

United Nations - Millennium Summit, 2000 special needs for Small World Summit on SD in 2002, highlighted SIDS are special case &

Why Rio+20 is important?

While in the last decade, while many improvements in

human wellbeing have been made (e.g. child mortality, infrastructure, services) The Environment has been degraded. 60% of the World Ecosystems are now degraded (put images and find example). In many countries of the world the environmental degradation is leading to increased poverty.

Definition of SD
The most often-quoted definition of sustainable

development is: the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and

social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs."

Sustainability is about...
Protecting Nature and managing it sustainably
Thinking long-term Understanding systems within which we live Recognizing the limits Taking-up creativity

Principles

Pillars of SD
Environment

Economic
Social

Main Objectives of SD
Securing economic development
Ensuring social equity and justice Protecting the environment Preserving & managing natural resources in a

sustainable way Avoiding unsustainable patterns of consumption & production Alleviating poverty Achieving MDGs 1 & 7

Introducing SD Indicators
Few examples of the indexes that integrated environmental sustainability and human wellbeing into account: (1) Gross National Happiness (GNH):

Bhutan Example

Economic Wellness: Environmental Wellness Physical Wellness: Mental Wellness: Workplace Wellness: Social Wellness Political Wellness

= Quality of life, psychological, material & spiritual wellbeing

Four pillars of GNH The promotion of equitable & sustainable socio-economic development Preservation and promotion of cultural values Conservation of the natural environment Establishment of good governance

Introducing SD Indicators (cont.)

(2) Ecological Footprint (EF): Human consumption of natural resources with earths ecological capacity to regenerate them. (explanatory picture, comparative example of few countries)
(3) Happy Planet Index (HPI): an index of human wellbeing & environmental impact. Measured by Gross Domestic Product & Human Development Index. (who uses it? And some examples)

What is a Green Economy

Definition: Public and private investments that:
Reduce pollution Energy efficient Resource efficient Protect Biodiversity Enhance Ecosystems services (food, building materials, water treatment, flood protection, Promote Social equity

What can governments do to enable a Green Economy?

Increase government expenditure on sustainable

development Green procurement by the government (stimulate demand for green products and services) Use of taxation instruments such as levies on pollution A legal framework that facilitates green economy activity and regulates harmful forms of production and consumption is also necessary. Green Jobs creation

Examples of Green Economy Success Stories (I)

Sustainable urban

planning in Brazil: Curitiba

Rapid growth of urban areas presents both environmental and socioeconomic challenges to residents, businesses and municipalities. In Brazil, the population density in the city has increased three-fold from 1970 to 2008 but through its innovative approaches in urban planning, city management, and transport planning going back as far as the 1960s, Curitiba has been able to grow in population without experiencing typical congestion, pollution and reduction of public space (that have high economic costs) At the same time, the average green area per person increased from 1 km to over 50 km.

Examples of Green Economy Success Stories (II)

Solar Energy in Barbados Barbados overreliance on imported fossil fuels has become one of the islands major environmental concerns. The Barbadian governments National Strategic Plan of Barbados for 2006-25 is designed to rectify this dependency by increasing the countrys renewable energy supply, with a particular focus on raising the

number of household solar water heaters by 50 per cent by 2025. Solar water heaters are now a widely used renewable energy technology in Barbados, with installations in nearly half of the islands dwelling units.

Examples of Green Economy Success Stories (III)

Waste Management in

Republic of Korea

Waste management and

recycling in the Republic of Koreas has not only reduced waste generation, but has also encouraged reusing waste as an energy resource. Over the past years, targeted policies have significantly increased the recycling rate while creating thousands of jobs in an endeavour to build a Resource Recirculation Society.

Examples of Green Economy Success Stories (IV)

Renewable Energy in China China is taking considerable steps to shift to a low-carbon growth strategy based on the development of renewable energy sources. The outline of 11th Fiveyear Plan (2006-2010) allocated a significant share of investments to green sectors, with an emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The Plan projects that the per-unit GDP energy consumption by 2010 should have decreased by 20 per cent compared to 2005. In addition, the Chinese government has committed itself to producing 16 per cent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2020.

National Sustainable Development Strategies

NSDS is an instrument to encourage countries to integrate environmental, economic and social objectives into their decision making processes by either elaborating new policies and strategies for sustainable development, or modifying or adapting existing policies and plans.

Principles of NSDS
NSDS has five principles: (1) Country ownership & commitment (2) Integrated economic, social and environmental policy across sectors, territories and generations (3) Broad & effective participation (4) Development of necessary capacity &enabling environment (5) Focus on outcomes of implementation

TL Development Pathway
Currently TL does not have NSDS as required by United Nations Development for Economic & Social Affairs (UN-DESA), 2005 BUT a National Development Strategy (NDS) in place.

Does TLs NDS integrate environmental sustainability filter to all sectors?

TLs NDS defines three different aspects of TL development prospect(2011 2030). These three areas are: (a)

Social Capital (education, health, social inclusion, environment & culture & heritage) Infrastructure Development (electricity, roads, water & sanitation, & telecommunication) Economic Development (agriculture, rural development, petroleum, tourism & private sector investment).

(b)

(c)

Current Pressures
High deforestation rates Climate Change

Unemployment Rate

Poverty

Rapid Urbanization

Poor Infrastructure

High Population Growth

Unsustainable farming practices

TimorLeste

Land Degradation

Poverty and Sustainable Development

Poverty and hunger still remain as big challenges in TL Poor people heavily rely on the environment for their livelihoods Environmental degradation and unsustainable use of resources

can negatively affect the poor peoples lives and lead to increased poverty THEREFORE Environmental laws, policies & regulations should consider those who are heavily dependent on the environment!

How can we introduce SD into Timor-Lestes current development strategy?

Human Wellbeing& Poverty Reduction -Basic materials -Security, -Health, -Freedom of choice and action Indirect Drivers of Change -Population, economic pressures and reforms, sociopolitical, science and technology, cultural and religious

Natural Resources & Ecosystem services -Food, water, fuel, air, forest products - Climate regulation, soil conservation, water catchment

Direct Drivers of Change - Changes in land use, climate, technology, agricultural practices (into of. fertilizers, foreign or hybrid seeds)

Major Sectors to take the lead for SD in Timor-Leste

Natural Resources (Minerals, oil and gas) Infrastructure & transport Trade & Economy Finance Tourism & Recreation

Key Sectors

Energy

Urban and rural development and management

Agriculture Forestry Fisheries & Biodiversity

Instrumental Actors
The Government

Civil Society

Private Sector

Donors

Steps taken so far...

TL - National Development Strategy, 2011-2030
Rio Conventions ratified by the GoTL, Kyoto &

Montreal Protocol & Vienna Convention

National Adaptation Plan of Action &NBSAP Environment Basic Law has been approved

Structural Challenges...
Introducing environmental sustainability into the government

priorities: infrastructure, agriculture and services

Lack of long term vision Attraction towards short term economic gains and underestimating

long term economic and human cost.

Lack of stakeholders participation in policy making Institutional problems lack of coordination between stakeholders lack of communication between ministries lack of information sharing lack of human resources ineffective chain of command and distribution of roles Lack of commitment and understanding of the importance of SD for human wellbeing and poverty reduction

Does Timor-Leste have advantages?

TL is a biodiversity hotspot and has relatively pristine natural

resources Petroleum Fund which could finance the transition A new country and has the chance to integrate SD into its strategic plan Has the opportunity to take lessons learned by other countries Has the chance of adopting existing technologies Can have a leading role encouraging SD among the fragile developing states As a developing county, TL can benefit from the existing aid agencies and can apply for and utilize external funding for implementing SD projects Can act as a model for other countries in the region

Timor-Lestes Vision

OUR NATION OUR FUTURE

The Way Forward..

Group Discussion
Trade and Economy Natural Resources Finance

Thematic Groups

Infrastructure Transport Energy Rural and Urban Development

Tourism Agriculture Forestry Fisheries Biodiversity

Discussion Themes
Successes and Failures
How can we upscale good practices that are

already working in TL
What are the entry points and potential areas to

invest and improve SD practices

Recommendations