The way forward: Georgia presents its national vision of a sustainable and climate-smart future

Georgia is one of 70 countries to join the Stockholm+50 international dialogue on 2-3 June to amplify a global call for greater ambition on climate change and pressing environmental challenges.

At the conference, Georgia’s delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Nino Tandilashvili, presented the country’s vision of a healthy planet and prosperity for all and national roadmaps for environmental protection and climate action.

This comprehensive document builds on the nationwide consultations with Georgian decision-makers, civil society activists and the private sector rolled out from April through May with assistance from the Government of Sweden and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It focuses on four main issues identified during the consultations – climate action, ecosystem services, resilient cities and environmental education – and includes an array of opinions, strategies and recommendations to help Georgia make bold steps towards a climate-smart and sustainable future.

“Georgia has just submitted its EU membership application. It’s vital to put our international environmental commitments into practice to support Georgia’s progress under the EU Association Agreement,” Tandilashvili noted.

“The only way to make peace with nature is to rewind our environmental and climate impact and work together to protect our planet and enhance the quality of life for all. Sweden will continue to support Georgia on our joint path to reimagine the future, regenerate ecosystems and rebalance our resource use for a greener and liveable future”, said Ambassador of Sweden to Georgia Ulrik Tideström.

"Preparations for the Stockholm+50 conference showed that Georgia’s decision-makers and people are increasingly concerned with the environmental and climate challenges the country is facing and are ready to take action. UNDP is working with Sweden and other partners to encourage and support this growing consensus and to promote urgent action to conserve biodiversity, reduce pollution and protect communities from climate-induced disasters,” said UNDP Resident Representative in Georgia Nick Beresford.

The original 1972 Stockholm conference was a milestone in rethinking the relationship between humans and the environment. After 50 years, Stockholm+50 once again calls on the world to invest in the planet and act together to create a truly sustainable future.

Co-hosted by Sweden and Kenya, this crucial international environmental meeting created space for leadership dialogues, debates engaging women, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and local communities, and hundreds of side events and webinars aimed at driving global action toward a healthy planet. This included the daily ‘UNDP Hour’, organised jointly with the We Don't Have Time movement, that brought together some of the world’s most notable experts to discuss the pressing climate concerns from a human perspective.