Green economy in the context of South Africa: Towards an evidence-informed and participatory approach

Ms Mapula Tshangela

Tshwane/UNISA Green Economy

Research Network 24 November 2015

Sector research, development and evidence framework

Sustainable development and green economy policy context

Secure ecologically sustainable development, while promoting social &economic development

19

98

National Environmental Management Act

20

08

National Framework for Sustainable Development

20

11 National Strategy

for Sustainable Development

Vision 2030 National

Development Plan

Behaviour change

Towards Scaling

Sustainable Development Policy Action

2013 NEMA

Amendment Act: Mainstreaming Environmental Management

National Development Plan, Medium Term Strategic Framework, Outcomes and Sectoral Policies √ Policy making in a complex environment

√ Demographic trends

√ Economy and employment

√ Economic infrastructure

√ Environmental sustainability and resilience

-Sustaining South Africa’s ecosystem and using natural resources efficiently

-Building sustainable communities

-Responding effectively to climate change: mitigation and adaptation

-Managing a just transition

-Enhancing governance systems and capacity

√ An integrated and inclusive rural economy

√ Positioning South Africa in the region and the world

√ Transforming human settlement

√ Improving education, training and innovation

√ Promoting health care for all

√ Social protection

√ Building safer communities

√ Building a capable and developmental state

√ Fighting corruption

√ Transforming society and uniting the country

Sustainable Development Policy Action Plan: towards mainstreaming, scaling up and implementing sustainability transition

1. Emerging policy programmes that have potential but

require support

2. Existing policy programmes that

already considerably

promote

3. Existing policy programmes that

require improvements or retrofitting to better promote

Towards Sustainable Development Policy Action Plan

Necessary context includes

Multi-stakeholders, multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary “co-creation” Understanding barriers and trade-offs to a sustainability transition

Inclusive, participatory, consultative and evidence-based Problem assessment and identification of elements to be mainstreamed Focus areas, desired outcome, shaping institutional arrangement, enabling factors

and means of implementation

Typical questions to promotion includes How are stakeholders encouraged to take appropriate policy actions?

Formulation, implementation and M&E

What worked (or works) well? What are the main challenges?

What should be the priority mainstreaming and scaling up collaborative actions? What further evidence is required and who might produce it?

Issues for promoting green economy in the context of sustainable development

Pro-active sourcing of evidence Building stronger relationships Tailored international practice Common understanding of evidence Skills and institutional memory Uptake of evidence Documenting policy process lessons

Improvements in “lived realities” Unintended consequences

Achieving scale Addressing marginalisation Bridging the disconnect Factors that shape implementation

Policy environment Good practices Quality of interaction Policy discourse Local government action Processes and outcomes Monitoring and evaluation practices

Research evidence gathering includes

Concluding Context

Opportunity to complement regulatory & voluntary instruments to promote green economy in the context of sustainable development

Co-creation of actions with multi-stakeholders

beyond Government Research Evidence network is encouraged to

facilitate evidence-informed and participatory policy making process

Ms Mapula Tshangela Senior Policy Advisor:

National Sustainable Development

Policy & research interface: sustainable development, green economy and sustainable consumption & production

Tel: +2712 399 9259

Cell: +27 84 8686 110 Email: MTshangela@environment.gov.za