ANKARA, MAY 30, 2012 – The Ministry of Development and the World Bank are hosting an International Conference on the opportunities and challenges of green growth. The one-day Conference comes only weeks before the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Participants are hearing from high ranking Turkish officials and international guests on their strategies and implementation experiences to date in greening economic development. Minister of Development Cevdet Yılmaz is attending the Conference.
In his opening remarks, Martin Raiser Country Director of the World Bank in Turkey said: “Around the world, countries are looking for ways to make economic growth compatible with environmental sustainability and social inclusion. Turkey has experienced impressive economic progress over the past decade and has introduced progressive environmental regulations, driven by the ultimate objective of compliance with the European Acquis. Today we have a chance to review to what extent ‘growing green’ presents Turkey and other middle income countries with new opportunities for jobs and wealth creation.”
Greening the developmental trajectory aims to attain a balance between economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. During the course of the Conference, many national and international experts on this subject will look into the need to have inclusive green growth – growth that is efficient in its use of natural resources, clean in that it minimizes pollution and environmental impacts, and inclusive for the population. Specific experiences from Asian countries such as China and South Korea will be shared by senior experts. The role of Energy Efficiency in Green Growth as well as addressing the Social Impacts of Green Growth Policies will also be discussed.
The International Conference in Turkey is the first in a series of discussions on green growth and climate action sponsored by the World Bank in the Europe and Central Asia Region.
