The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) Global Meeting 2017 was held in Trinidad and Tobago on 1-3 November 2017. This forum, held annually, allows all GEC members and partner organisations to meet and discuss the challenges and successes of their efforts to support green economic development. As the GEC’s partner organization in Mongolia, the meeting was attended by EPCRC director Lakshmi Boojoo.

The focus of the 2017 global meeting was on how to support green enterprises so they can drive the transition to inclusive green economies. The global meeting provided an excellent opportunity for members, national hubs, local partners and international organisations to meet and discuss a range of relevant topics, including hearing real life insights from green entrepreneurs and small business in the Caribbean (as the host country), share and examine the evidence around different policy approach supporting smaller business in the transition to greener economies, and the status of the transition to green economies at the local and global level. The focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) reflects the fact that these entities are agile and potentially able to better respond and adapt to green economic development, and are also important sources of jobs and economic activity more broadly.

Critically, the meeting also provided the platform to announce the Santa Cruz Declaration. This declaration aims to encourage stakeholders from business, government, civil society, academic and local communities to partner with GEC organization to:

• Partner with green SMEs and build a social movement in service of inclusive green and resilient economies that deliver local value and sustainable livelihoods, all around the world.
• Champion SMEs as an engine of disruptive innovation, invention and creative development. Most of the businesses which will drive the economies of 2040 don’t exist yet, and all of them will have started out as SMEs.
• Rethink systems within our sphere of direct and indirect influence that affect the functioning of SMEs, sustainable practices and business models.

As the GEC’s national hub in Mongolia, the EPCRC has had the privilege and opportunity participate in the global meetings, sharing Mongolia’s experience with its transition to a green economy at a global forum. The EPCRC will continue to work closely with the GEC, and support Mongolia’s ongoing transition to a green economy.

For more information on the GEC Global Meeting 2017, please see http://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-analysis/the-green-economy-coalition-summit-2017