News: Jun 27, 2019
A capacity building programme for Inclusive Green Economy for government officials in Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, is implemented by the Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development (GMV) during this year. Emelie César and Anders Ekbom are co-directors for the programme.
Tell us about the training programme!
Emelie: It is a capacity development program for government officials at ministries in Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda. It focuses on Inclusive Green Economy, in other words, economic development that is sustainable both environmentally and socially. The programme is implemented during nine months and during this period the participants will get an increased knowledge on green economy; what it is, and how to work with green economy in practice. Focus will be on economic policy instruments e.g. taxes and fees.
Anders: The word inclusive is key here and in this context, it means that everyone should be included; that economic development and the green economy do not happen at the expense of certain groups of people or future generations. In this program, we work with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 on economic development and employment, and above all, we focus on the conflict between the targets; economic growth and socially and environmentally sustainable development.
Why did you choose to focus on these three countries?
Anders: The selected countries are geographically close to each other. They are also relatively equal in terms of socio-economic and political aspects, although of course there are differences. In view of this, we believe that the participants will be able to relate to each other and exchange experiences in good ways. The programme is not only focusing on a group of researchers that will meet officials from ministries, but there is a great focus on integrated learning, where all can learn from each other - the participants, advisors, lecturers and resource persons.
Emelie: In addition, we have both worked in the region in different ways and have contact with researchers in these countries who will act as resource persons in the program. One of them is Claudine Uwera, who has a PhD in environmental economics from the University of Gothenburg and she is now Minister of Finance in Rwanda.
What are you working on now?
Emelie: Currently, GMV is together with international mentors supporting the participants in their so called change projects that they are working on within their respective organizations. The participants will carry out their respective project throughout the training program. It is a small and specific project linked to the participants' own work areas. Their own projects are important in many ways - they are educational for the individual and can make a difference in the organization. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg in, for example, political science and economics are participating as lecturers and resource persons, and also Swedish authorities, such as the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
Anders: This course is not academic teaching in the traditional sense but a knowledge-intensive collaboration, a form of interaction that requires a lot of us that are organisers of the training programme. There is a strong connection to the university's goal of collaboration, where we specifically link research in this area with those who can put it into practice. The training programme is a pilot project during one year with 15 participants, five from each country. Our hope is that there will be a continuation with new participants in coming training programmes in the future.
More information:
The training program Capacity Building Program for Inclusive Green Economy runs from March to December 2019. In September, participants, mentors and resource persons will meet in Rwanda for two weeks of in-service training containing lectures, workshops and study visits. The project is funded by the Swedish Institute.
Read more about the project
Contact:
Emelie César, Programme Co-Director, emelie.cesar@gu.se
Anders Ekbom, Programme Co-Director, anders.ekbom@gu.se
