Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Systemic and complex mapping of the Green Economy in Belarus
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is to build a general view on the Green Economy as a system with the main stakeholders and actors from the various and unexpected sectors, define links and lack thereof, identify systemic issues, address systemic issues with key stakeholders and socialize the map with the key players.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
The history behind the challenge is that UNDP and the AccLab is heavily engaged in the preparation of the Second National Action Plan on the Green Economy. During this work, one of the issues which has emerged is a lack of cooperation between government actors and actors from other sectors. Ministry of Natural Resources and Academy of Science asked the AccLab to support in elaboration of the systemic vision of future of the Green Economy in Belarus. There are also other identified issues which might be a key for development of the Green Economy which are insufficient green jobs, low support for business which want to pursue a green agenda, Circular Economy as part of the Green Economy has low priority on the state level.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
There are various types of signals. The most salient amongst them are a buy-in from the national partners on developing the Green Economy; climate change is the emergency again; readiness of local authorities to support businesses with a focus on the GE; the GE is considered to be an opportunity for women's economic empowerment by the local authorities. The weak signals are interest from the RCO on the green growth, donors such as the UK Embassy, and the private sectors representatives are enquiring the AccLab on what can be done to strengthen their capacities in shifting to doing business in a green new way.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
One of the UNDP CO strategic goals is to pursue portfolio approach, which goes beyond the programmatic units approach, within the Green Economy theme. The AccLab is seen as binding force here which by not belonging to any programmatic unit can be a neutral side in pursuing the Green Economy agenda on the CO level and beyond. The same impartiality covers also interactions with various actors which in other circumstances would be difficult to bring together. On top of that, the AccLab team has various skills in various areas which can bring additional layers on how the Green Economy can be developed. For example, the AccLab adds to the discussions on the Green Economy a more specific focus on its inclusiveness, gendered focus, and digitalization and elaborating additional IT products.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
The UNDP AccLab in Belarus works on the Green Economy for bringing various stakeholders together and making it smart, inclusive, and digital.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
NGO Establishment “Center for Environmental Solutions” – eco-friendly behavior, National Action Plan on the Green Economy discussion NGO “Ecological initiative” – green energy, women empowerment in the Green Economy NGO “Society for Innovative Business Support” – browsing for green innovative solutions NGO “Foundation “Dobra” - browsing for green innovative solutions within Social Weekend competition. Private sector UNITER – investment company. Exploring opportunities of support of businesses focused on the Green Agenda. OneSoil – exploring the opportunities for cooperation on organic agriculture. Ministries Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection – preparation of the National Action Plan on Green Economy, public hearings with NGOs, workshops. Ministry of Emergency Situations – exploring the opportunities of environmental education with prevention of risk for children. Ministry of Economy – data on Green Growth. BelStat – explore the possibility to create a Green Economy dashboard. SCST – Green Technologies catalogue. Sister agencies UN RCO – NGO cooperation, Green Growth accelerator
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Please see above.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
What are the main driving forces and obstacles for GE development in Belarus?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
System mapping – map issues related to Green Economy and Green Growth Hackathons – browsing for Green Solutions and new possible partners Crowdsourcing – development of actions to promote Green Economy and putting it into National Action Plan on Green Economy Participatory design – development of ideas jointly with different stakeholders within workshops related to Green Economy MVP – drafting of schemas / maps showing the interdependency of sectors of Green Economy
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Green Growth in Belarus needs the grouping of indicators into one dashboard. Also data for the calculation of ecosystem services is needed. AccLab can support the development of these topics within the learning question.
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
For the UNDP CO Green Economy can be the subject for portfolio design approach Within Belarus the Green Economy Action Plan can make the work of key stakeholders more cooperative, cohesive and coherent. On the level of RBEC Belarusian experience in supporting the Green Growth can be the model one for other countries
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7Affordable and clean energy
8Decent work and economic growth
9Industry, innovation and infrastructure
