NAIROBI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Erick Solheim on Wednesday urged African governments to take measures to accelerate implementation of green economy initiatives.
Solheim said that governments need to cooperate with the private sector, manufacturers of transport vehicles and regulators to ensure a rapid change-over to a green economy.
"The UN Environment stands ready to provide the platform for information flow in support of a cleaner environment," Solheim said at a news conference of Africa Clean Mobility Week in Nairobi.
Solheim said UNEP has been actively involved in green economy initiatives for urban cities and has teamed up with private companies with right products with an aim to promote green economy transition especially in the field of energy and transport.
Solheim said UNEP has played roles in pollution abatement, cooperating with the Kenyan government to eradicate plastic bags and supporting countries to ban the importation of vehicles to reduce the scale of carbon emissions for more than three years.
UNEP urged African countries to ensure vehicles used for transport are made from the cleanest technologies available.
The UNEP official added that the choices of vehicles made today will influence emissions and air quality for decades to come, hence measures need to be taken at the earliest opportunity.
Solheim also said that alternative sources of energy most likely from solar and other renewable energy should also be sought from places of Africa to spur energy transition.
The five-day Africa Clean Mobility Week opened on Monday with a focus on cleaner vehicles standards, the introduction of electric vehicles in Africa, used vehicles imports and new approaches to introducing shared transport models.