Green jobs

Opening address at the at the Roundtable Discussion on Green Jobs and Just Transition to a Green Economy

By Mr Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the Roundtable Discussion on Green Jobs and Just Transition to a Green Economy, Makati City, Philippines 28 June 2017

Statement | Manila, Philippines | 28 June 2017
  • Distinguished government officials and representatives from workers’ and employers’ organizations,
  • Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon to all of you!
Welcome to the first Roundtable Discussion on Green Jobs and Just Transition to a Green Economy. This is a collaborative initiative of the Climate Change Commission and the International Labour Organization.

Thank you for being here today. Your presence is important because dialogue matters to achieve a just transition.

Today’s discussion aims to raise awareness and strengthen convergence among key stakeholders towards pursuing a just transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate resilient economy and society.

It also hopes to contribute to the updating of the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution in achieving the Paris Agreement on climate change.

This is timely as we, the ILO, has just concluded the International Labour Conference – also known as the annual parliament of labour – which brought together Governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations from 187 member States.

Our Director General called for needed policies to make transition happen and to make it just. In his report, entitled Work in a changing climate: the Green Initiative, he highlighted “the potential for greening of production to be a powerful engine for decent work creation and strong balanced growth and development”. He cited the Paris Agreement and the national commitments made under, together with the Sustainable Development Goals as unique opportunity to translate tripartite consensus among government, workers and employers into large scale practical initiative towards the necessary greening of the world of work.

In 2015, the ILO Tripartite constituents have endorsed the policy guidelines for a “Just Transition towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All” to manage the transition to a low carbon, greener economy.

These guidelines offer a policy framework and a practical tool to help countries manage the transition to an environmentally sustainable economy that drives quality job creation, social inclusion and poverty eradication.

This an important tool that can help the countries in meeting the national commitments made under the Paris Agreement on climate change, together with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

As you may know, the Just Transition policy guidelines are being piloted in the Philippines, together with Ghana and Uruguay. This pilot application of the guidelines in the Philippines is in support of the implementation of the Philippine Green Jobs Act, which aims to promote sustainable growth and decent job creation by providing incentives to enterprises generating green jobs, and at the same time, to effectively manage the structural changes that the transition could bring.

To fully implement the law and to ensure an inclusive and equitable transition for all, various stakeholders will have to work together, in a coherent and sustained manner. This policy dialogue series is a key step towards achieving that.

With this, I look forward to a fruitful discussion with everyone. Rest assured of the ILO’s continued support towards greening the world of work and achieving a just transition.

Thank you!