Ways in which four different sustainable development models can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals were discussed during a roundtable event co-organised by the Geneva Environment Network (GEN) Secretariat and UNEP in July.

The event kicked off with the screening of short films conveying the concepts of Ecological Civilisation for China, a Green Economy for South Africa, Living Well for Bolivia and a Sufficiency Economy for Thailand.

A discussion then followed with a high-level panel made up of Li Haisheng, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation at China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Permanent Representatives of Thailand, South Africa and Bolivia to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva - His Excellency Mr Thani Thongphakdi , Ncumisa Notutela and María Natalia Pacheco Rodriguez respectively – and Sheng Fulai, head of the Research and Partnership Unit at UNEP’s Economics and Trade Branch.

The panel presented the different initiatives being carried out in the four states, as focused on in UNEP’s new report presented titled ‘Multiple Pathways to Sustainable Development: Initial Findings from the Global South’.

UNEP has for the past two years been working with the four within the framework of the ‘Enhancing South-South Cooperation - Building the Capacity of Developing Countries to Promote Green Economies’ project, documenting and sharing their national sustainable development approaches.

The 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) conference saw world leaders recognized the existence of a number of “different approaches, visions, models and tools available to each country, in accordance with its national circumstances and priorities, to achieve sustainable development”.

In order to view the presentations made at the event, please click here. For more details please contact diana.rizzolio@unep.org or claudia.assmann@unep.org

For a full list of upcoming events organised by GEN, please click here