Many private sector development (PSD) programmes aim to achieve economic as well as environmental goals, including the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change, the reduction of pollutants, and a reversal of biodiversity loss and water scarcity. Meeting these needs can also be an opportunity for businesses in the developing world.
This page compiles key resources on Green Growth that are relevant to PSD practitioners, many prepared under the auspices of the DCED’s Green Growth Working Group. For a broader collection of Green Growth resources, see the Green Growth Policy Platform.
For more specific resources on promoting a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to the DCED knowledge page on Promoting economic recovery and resilience in the context of COVID-19.
Synthesis Note 
Green Tool Box 
Fact sheet
An Introduction to the Circular Economy for Donors, DCED, 2021
Gives an introduction to the concept of circular economy for private sector development practitioners.
Green Economy - Why, What and How? Sida, 2017
Explains why a green economy is needed, what it is, how it can be done, and what a donor agency can do to promote it.
Explores the role of the private sector in adaptation, and how development agencies are providing support.
Dialogue Support for a Green Economy: Dialogue and Assessment Tool, Sida, 2017
Provides ideas for questions that can be used in dialogue with partners about integrating environment and climate change perspectives in employment, market development and trade initiatives.
This section lists the DCED’s key documents on green growth, produced by the DCED Green Growth Working Group.
- Gender-Responsive Nature-Based Solutions Toolkit, DCED, 2025
- Case Studies on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Climate Change, DCED, 2024
Gender-Responsive Green Growth Guidance Sheets, DCED, 2019:
- Donor Support for Green Industrial Policies: Approaches, case studies and lessons learnt, DCED, 2025
- Implications of New Environmental Regulations, DCED, 2025, and corresponding policy brief.
- The Green PSD Navigator, DCED, 2022
- Supporting Green Growth in Fragile and Conflict-affected Settings, Technopolis & DCED, 2019
- The search for synergy: Business Environment Reform and Green Growth – A practical guide for policy practitioners, DCED, 2017. View a presentation on the study here.
- Green Growth and Private Sector Development: Stocktaking of DCED Experiences, DCED, 2014
- Policy Measures to Support Inclusive and Green Business Models, DCED & UN Global Compact, 2013
- Women’s participation in green growth – a potential fully realised? DCED, 2012
Opportunities
- Greening Economies in Partner Countries: Priorities for international cooperation, IDOS, 2023
- Employment assessment of Renewable Energy, GGGI, 2020
- Informality and inclusive green growth, IIED, 2016
- The impact of green growth on employment, Grantham Research Institute and GGGI, 2015
- Achieving Sustainable Development in Africa through Inclusive Green Growth, UNECA, 2015
Challenges and debates
- Net Zero: Climate and economic resilience in a changing world, OECD, 2023
- Is Green Growth Good for the Poor? The World Bank, 2014
- Research and Evidence on Green Growth, DFID, 2013
- What should a green economy look like in practice? Why Green Economy web page
Green growth can be achieved using a wide range of PSD approaches. This section introduces some of these approaches in the context of green growth, and links to resources that explore how each approach is being, or could be, implemented around the world.
Cross-cutting guidance and advice
- Input Paper on Green Skills, SDC, 2025
- Climate Finance in Africa: An overview of climate finance flows, challenges and opportunities, UNDP, 2024
- The Political Economy of Green Industrialisation in Africa, ECDPM, 2024
- Just Transition: A climate, energy and development vision for Africa, Sokona et al, Power Shift Africa, 2023
- Green and Inclusive Business Toolbox: Promoting Green and Inclusive Business Models in Development Cooperation Programmes, GIZ, 2019
- Measuring Inclusive Green Growth at the Country Level: Taking Stock of Measurement Approaches and Indicators, Green Growth Knowledge Platform, 2016
- Sustainable development, decent work and green jobs, ILO, 2013
- ‘Leaving no one behind’ through enabling climate-resilient economic development in dryland regions, ODI, 2018
- The search for synergy: Business Environment Reform and Green Growth, DCED, 2017
- Business climate and competitiveness enhancement support provided by the Compete Caribbean Programme, DCED, 2017
- Macroeconomic reform in Vietnam on ecological and inclusive growth, DCED, 2017
- Payments for Ecosystem Services in Costa Rica, DCED, 2017
- Scaling Up Blended Finance for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation in Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs), NGFS, 2023
- GEF’s Private Sector Engagement Strategy, Global Environment Facility, 2020
- Mobilising private-sector investment to mitigate climate change in Africa, Stockholm Environment Institute, 2018
- Delivering real change: Getting international climate finance to the local level, IIED, 2017
- Mind the Gap: Bridging the Climate Financing Gap with Innovative Financial Mechanisms, Global Green Growth Institute, 2016
- Green industrial policies for the net-zero transition, OECD, 2024
- Africa’s Green Manufacturing Crossroads: Choices for a low-carbon industrial future, McKinsey & Co., 2021
- Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy: Building a stronger Single Market for Europe’s recovery, EC, 2021
- A new Industrial Strategy for Europe, EC, 2020
- Green Industrial Policy: Promoting competitiveness and structural transformation, PAGE UN CC:Learn, 2020 (podcast series)
- Green Transformation of Industrial Parks in China’s Jiangsu Province: A synthesis report, PAGE, 2019
- Green Industrial Policy: Concepts, Policies and Country Experiences, DIE and PAGE, 2017
- Greening Africa’s Industrialization, UNECA, 2016
- Korea’s Green Growth Experience: Process, Outcomes and Lessons Learned, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), 2016
- Environmental Sustainability in Value Chain and Market System Development for Decent Work: A short guide for analysis and intervention design, ILO, 2021
- Sector Selection and Rapid Market Assessment for Addressing Environmental Sustainability in Value Chain Development: Template for criteria and guiding questions, ILO, 2021
- WWF Market Transformation Initiative (Cotton), DCED, 2017
- Financing Gender in the Green Transition in Africa: A Toolkit to Integrate Gender in Climate Policies, UN Women, 2025
- Exploring Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs Driving Climate Solutions, IFC, 2023
- Gender-Just Transitions: An overview, GIZ, 2023
- Scaling Gender and Climate Investment Opportunities, IBRD, 2023
- From Risks to Rewards: Overcoming the impacts of climate change on women in agricultural supply chains, UK FCDO, 2022
- Strategies for Incubators and Accelerators: Strengthening ecosystems for women climate entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa, WUSC EUMC & Global Affairs Canada, 2021
- Gender-Responsive Green Growth Guidance Sheets, Katherine Miles for DCED, 2019
- Firm-Level Climate Change Adaptation: Micro Evidence from 134 Nations, World Bank, 2025
- The Zambia Green Jobs Programme, DCED, 2017
- Skills Development for Green and Inclusive SMEs in India: Entrepreneurs’ Approaches, DCED, 2014
- DCED/GGKP webinar on the Climate Expert Tool – Helping SMEs develop strong climate adaptation strategies, 2019:
- Circulareconomy.earth (Interactive map of global circular economy policies), Chatham House, 2020
- A 1.5° World Requires a Circular and a Low Carbon Economy, UNEP/UNDP, 2020
- An Inclusive Circular Economy: Priorities for developing countries, Chatham House, 2019
- Inclusive Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation: Reducing climate impacts in a way that works for everyone, IISD, 2024. An infographic on how gender-responsive and socially inclusive nature-based solutions for adaptation can reduce differentiated climate impacts.
- NbS Policy Platform, Nature-based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford, 2021. An interactive global map of nature-based solutions, with information by country of policy promises and underlying evidence.
- NbS Evidence Platform, Nature-based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford, 2021. An interactive tool with downloadable data that explores the effectiveness of different nature-based solutions in terms of environmental, social and economic effects, filtered by region, country, ecosystem type, intervention type or type of outcome.
- Nature Hires: How nature-based solutions can power a green jobs recovery, ILO & WWF, 2020. A report that defines nature-based solutions, provides global case studies and outlines policy recommendations.
- Accelerating business solutions for climate and nature – Report 1: Mapping nature-based solutions and natural climate solutions, WBCSD & IUCN, 2020. A report that defines nature-based solutions and natural climate solutions, and maps the leading initiatives in this space.
Agriculture
- Green Commodities Programme in Indonesia, DCED, 2017
- The “Eco-Agricultural Business for the Adaptation to Changes in Climate” project in Cameroon, DCED, 2017
- Topic Guide: Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture, FCDO, 2015
- Malawi’s Agriculture, Climate Change and Food Security Country Analysis and Programming Recommendations, DFID, 2015
- The economy-wide effects of climate change on Philippine agriculture, IFPRI, 2015
Energy
- Making the Switch: From fossil fuel subsidies to sustainable energy, Nordic Council of Ministers, 2017
- Poor People’s Energy Outlook, Practical Action, 2014
- International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Shaping Sustainable Markets
- Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Climate Funds Update
- OECD, Work on Green Growth
- UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), including course and teaching materials on Green Industrial Policy
- UNEP, Green Economy Initiative