Accelerating Green Jobs Creation and Facilitating Just Transitions in ASEAN

The Accelerating Green Jobs Creation and Facilitating Just Transitions in ASEAN is a regional initiative which aims to support increased collaboration and cooperation across tripartite constituents in ASEAN member states in initiating and achieving actions aligned to the 2018 ASEAN Declaration on Green Jobs, while facilitating Just Transitions approaches in the region.

The ILO Japan Multi-Bilateral Programme using resources from the Japan Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare supports this 9-month initiative under the resources of the Social Safety Net Funds, noting that green jobs creation holds significant potential to address decent work, and the corresponding policy regime that supports just transition measures, which can simultaneously deliver on socioeconomic, employment and environmental goals.

Specific activity components to be pursued include regional knowledge sharing on the existing policies, programme and initiatives among in the ASEAN member states, related to green jobs and greening of employment for a just transition to environmental sustainability; providing a forum for discussion of priority areas for collaboration, cooperation and resource mobilization to promote green jobs and skills, dubbed as Green Jobs Forum; and implementing country-level actions and initiatives that respond to short and medium term gaps in green jobs creation and facilitating just transition (Philippines and Indonesia).

The Philippines is highlighted in this ASEAN-wide project due to its prior advancement on Green Jobs and Just Transition agenda. Primarily, in 2016, the Philippines enacted the Green Jobs Act (RA 10771), a law to scale up promotion of sustainable growth and decent job creation, while building resilience against impacts of climate change by providing incentives to enterprises generating green jobs across all economic sectors, especially the private sector and the MSMEs.

Key activities support country level measures such as the updating of the National HRD Plan for Green Jobs with current strategies and indicators aligned to national development priorities, initiating the sector plans Just Transition in key sectors undergoing transformation such as the energy, and supporting the young workers and trade union leaders in building the youth action agenda and networks to support the advocacy for a Just Transition.