The Asia and Pacific region is the most economically dynamic in the world. In the last decade, growth in the industrial production of regional developing countries has outstripped global growth rates. In 1995 Asia's share of global economic output was 30% and is now expected to reach up to 60% by 2025. As countries in the Asia Pacific region experience rapid economic growth, increasing pressure has been placed on the limited environmental carrying capacity. In addition, such steadfast growth has produced a huge increase in greenhouse gas emissions. If the conventional economic growth pattern is continued, it is believed that the region will not be able to sustain these levels of economic growth without compromising environmental sustainability. Thus, it is imperative that economic growth be harmonized with environmental sustainability as one of the most important goals for policymakers in the region.

Climate change is fast coming one of the most serious threats to humanity and the global environment. The Asia and Pacific region is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the adverse effects of climate change and each member country in the region has a pressing need to evaluate the impacts that climate change will bring and to adapt to the changes. However, despite the urgency to respond to the challenges, many member countries are not yet ready because of their limited capacity and awareness. It is therefore crucial to strengthen the mechanisms to assist member countries, in particular the least-developed countries, to understand and take appropriate measures to cope with the coming changes.

Efforts to mitigate climate change must be complementary with economic development which allows countries to pursue strategies for sustainable economic growth and the enhancement of living standards. The type of development path that is pursed will have a direct impact on the severity of the changes and vulnerability of countries. In this context, countries in the region need to ensure their economic growth by harmonizing environmental sustainability with climate resilience.

Green Growth seeks to harmonize economic growth with poverty reduction and environmental sustainability while safeguarding the limited ecological carrying capacity of the environment. An effective way to move toward a climate-friendly, environmentally sound and economically sustainable growth pattern is to pursue Green Growth. These strategies which enhance environmental sustainability can also be utilized to mitigate the effects of climate change. Improvements in eco-efficiency endeavor to satisfy human needs while progressively reducing the resource intensity in production, in other words, it aims to create more value with fewer resources and/or less ecological damage.

The application of economic instruments is one way of promoting more eco-efficient consumption and production patterns. If properly designed and implemented, economic instruments, such as financial incentives, eco-taxes, environmental charges and tradable permits, can create incentives to minimize resource use, waste and pollution, which will in turn reduce GHG emissions. Uplifting eco-efficiency rates in the region will simultaneously improve our capacity to mitigate the impacts of climate change while continuing our economic growth.
The Green Growth approach underlines the importance of market-based instruments as policy tools. Given that climate change is one of the typical examples of market failures, sophisticated and targeted intervention based on the flexibility and dynamism of market mechanisms is required. The application of economic instruments is a cost-effective way to promote eco-efficient consumption and production patterns that minimize resource use and pollution and in consequence, contributes to coping with climate challenges.

However, ways to adopt the Green Growth approach to address the challenges posed by climate change have not yet been intensively discussed in the region. Economic instruments applicable to climate actions, including green budgets and tax reforms have not been widely adopted in Asia-Pacific countries and need to be further promoted to enhance eco-efficiency in the region. Therefore, there is further potential to build momentum towards the application of Green Growth to cope with climate change concerns in the region. Furthermore, several countries in the region have already successfully implemented the Green Growth approach and their knowledge and experiences should be shared when building the capacity of other countries.

The programme aims to enhance the capacity of government officials and policy-makers from countries in the region to use the Green Growth approach to better address climate change challenges. The programme seeks to;