Following a series of high-level and stakeholder meetings, the Russian city of Stavropol is to work with UNEP to develop as a green economy and act as an example for the entire region.

As a first step, a partnership will now be established between UNEP and Stavropol State Agrarian University, which on 8-9 July hosted the first International Ecological Forum.

The event took place upon the initiative of the Russian Ecological Foundation TECHECO, with support of the local government, parliament, business community and universities.

The Forum, which focused on ‘Green Economy, challenges and opportunities for a modern state,’ saw the Deputy Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for Europe Sylvie Motard and Vladimir Moshkalo, head of UNEP’s Moscow office, present UNEP’s work towards green economies and identify possible ways and areas of cooperation. The 350 participants also shared experiences and plans for green economy development.

Bilaterals held with representatives of the local Duma Parliament showed existing strong political will to help reorient the region on the green economy track, acting as a flagship initiative for the Stavropol region.

Open discussions were also organised with representatives from academia, innovative youth and the local business community, who showed strong interest in introducing new energy and resource-saving technologies.

As a result, UNEP has been recognised as a key partner for the implementation of a green economy roadmap in the region, but also for facilitating cross-border cooperation on the issue. Ongoing cooperation with Switzerland from both sides was also identified as an area for further work in Geneva, and possibly within the next bilateral consultations between Switzerland and UNEP.

For more details please contact: sylvie.motard@unep.org
or vladimir.moshkalo@unep.org