At this time, the 4th SI Leadership programme will explore avenues for the application of Green Growth policy tools to promote Green Industry in the region and ultimately to cope with threats from the global economic recession and climate change. Given that the environment and energy is the area that national policies can create powerful market incentives and stimulate investment, the role of the public sector for promoting the environmentally - friendly goods and services, green purchasing as well as green investment will be highlighted. Several countries in the region have already successfully implemented the promotion of environmental industry and their knowledge and experiences should be shared when building the capacity of other countries.

The Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific (MCED) held in Seoul, Republic of Korea in March 2005 adopted environmentally sustainable economic growth or the Green Growth approach as an innovative conceptual strategic framework for sustainable development, and welcomed the Seoul Initiative on Green Growth. The Commission of ESCAP supported the approach of Green Growth as a relevant and appropriate regional response in attaining the Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction and environmental sustainability, by adopting Resolution 61/9 at its 61st session.