Green Economy Scoping Study: Azerbaijan

As part of its Green Economy work, UNEP is conducting Green Economy scoping studies for a number of countries.

IISD (Jason Dion, Philip Gass and David Sawyer) contributed to the underlying analysis and recommendations of a study that looked at the possibility of shifting to a Green Economy in Azerbaijan. This work included considering the macroeconomic profile of the country and the overarching challenges it faces, looking at the existing policy landscape in the country, and analyzing particular sectors. The sectors of energy production, agriculture and transportation were determined to be of particular importance to the country, and recommendations for each of these three sectors—as well as recommendations to create strong enabling conditions for their success—are provided. These recommendations included:

Energy:

• Increase efficiency and renewable energy capacity
• Provide subsidy and incentive reform in energy production
• Facilitate transition away from fossil fuels

Agriculture:

• Promote stronger supply chains
• Enhance public-private partnerships with agri-business
• Promote education and capacity building
• Enforce stronger regulation on agricultural inputs and outputs

Transport:

• Increase investment in public transit options
• Enhance regulatory oversight
• Promote investment in clean vehicle technology

Recommendations around enabling conditions included development of public procurement plans, the creation of strong regulatory systems, subsidy and fiscal instrument reform and attracting global financing.