Over 100 delegates from Government, civil society and the private sector joined the first of the Stockholm+50 consultations rolled out in Georgia today. A series of events to be held through April will reach out to the wide circles of Georgia’s society to ensure that everyone has a say in a life-changing transformation of environmental protection, climate action and green recovery.

By launching its national consultations, Georgia joins 57 countries paving the way for the Stockholm+50 conference in Sweden on 2-3 June. This global event will commemorate 50 years since the UN Conference on Human Environment when environmental protection first appeared on the UN General Assembly’s agenda in 1972.

The Stockholm+50 conference will give the floor to a global dialogue on the world’s five-decade-long journey to green development, focusing on the areas where bold steps must be taken to achieve a healthy planet and prosperity for all.

In Georgia, the national consultations, supported by the Government of Sweden and UNDP, will be shaped around three major fields where the environmental and climate considerations are particularly critical – an environmental dimension of sustainable development, a partnership for a healthy planet and inclusive growth, and a green and climate-sensitive post-COVID recovery.

The consultations will engage policy-makers, international partners, civil society organizations, and environmental, social and human rights experts working on legal, economic and other issues. The outcomes of this comprehensive process, including policy recommendations and roadmaps, will be discussed at the Stockholm+50 conference.

“Environmental sustainability and climate resilience are the guiding principles of sustainable development. In our world, so heavily dependent on its natural wealth, there is no greater goal than to conserve natural resources, develop renewable sources of energy, cut pollution and reduce harm to the environment,” said UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Georgia Anna Chernyshova.

“Five decades after the 1972 Stockholm Conference, the Government of Sweden, with support from the Government of Kenya, will host Stockholm+50, an international dialogue to contribute to the environmental dimension of sustainable development. We are happy to support Georgia to contribute to this important global dialogue with the national vision of green growth and climate-resilient development,” said Head of Development Cooperation, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden to Georgia Erik Illes.

With the start in Tbilisi on 14 April, Georgia’s national consultations for the Stockholm+50 conference will continue in Telavi on 19 April and Batumi on 28 April.

Media contacts:

• Sophie Tchitchinadze, UNDP, +995 599 196907, sophie.tchitchinadze@undp.org
• Ira Sulava, UNDP, +995 599 579105, irine.sulava@undp.org