A key element of the Rio+20 declaration was the agreement of countries to consider green economy as one of the important tools available for achieving sustainable development and eradicating poverty. Deserts perhaps pose one of the most challenging situations for implementing a green economy approach, due to the harsh, unpredictable environmental conditions, fragile ecosystem equilibrium, inherently low production potential, and limited infrastructure. Despite these challenges, from 1988 Elion Resources Group (Elion) took up restoration1 of part of the Kubuqi Desert, located in Hangjin Qi, within the Ordos City prefecture in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, which later developed into an example of desert green economy. The achievements to date have been remarkable and have attracted much international attention. However what were the factors that led to the success of the project and to what extent could the principles be applied to other dryland areas? The objective of this review was to provide a scientific assessment of the Kubuqi Pilot Site2 with respect to the project’s ecological economic and social sustainability with a focus on private-public-community partnerships.

Pathways to Scale, the Inquiry`s third progress report, explores how innovative ideas and practices can be made more effective, adopted more widely, and taken to scale—and as a result move the trillions that are required. Scaling-up proven but limited innovations, is a common development challenge, requiring the adept handling of inevitable technical and institutional barriers, and the creation of viable pathways which can overcome outdated but often resilient conventional wisdoms.

This publication “Environmental Dispatches: Reflections on Challenges, Innovation and Resilience in Asia-Pacific” brings together some of these stories. The APFED Showcase Programme offered the chance for journalists in the region to tell those untold stories, spreading knowledge and awareness of how Asia-Pacific communities are addressing sustainable development.

In 2014 the Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China convened a Green Finance Task Force made up of 40 experts from ministries, financial regulators, academics, banks and other financial institutions, complemented by international experts brought together by the UNEP Inquiry to consider the steps that China could take to establish a green financial system.This detailed report on one of the fourteen recommendations complements the main report."