African Economic Conference 2011: Towards a Green Economy

From 25 to 28 October 2011, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) will jointly host the sixth annual African Economic Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The conference will examine the region's prospects for advancing sustainable development by boosting economic productivity and promoting long-lasting human development, including through green growth.

Africa's economies have grown rapidly over the last decade, but they remain vulnerable to shocks. These are compounded by climate change, environmental degradation, population growth and the global economic crisis. In addition, economic growth has not translated into sufficient rates of poverty reduction or employment creation.

Greening growth will help to expand economic sectors that create jobs and opportunities for all citizens, including the most vulnerable. At the same time, investing in these sectors will contribute to creating more robust economies over the long term.

Looking at experiences from around the world, the African Economic Conference will examine the possibility of greening African economies through investments in sound natural resource management, renewable energy, clean industries and sustainable agriculture.

The event will be opened by: Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank; Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of UNECA; and Tegegnework Gettu, Director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa. Scholars and policy-makers from Africa and around the world will host round table discussions and plenaries on the green economy.

The African Economic Conference will inform the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which takes place in Durban, South Africa from 28 November to 9 December 2011. It will also help the continent to prepare for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 4-6 June, 2012.