National Conference on Green Jobs, New Delhi, 24 - 25 June 2010

New Delhi – (ILO News) First “National conference on Green Jobs” opened in New Delhi today. Hosted by International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, the conference was inaugurated by Mr. Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Labour & Employment on 24 June 2010.

The conference provides a forum to discuss emerging trends and issues, debate on policy options, and share inspiring cases from India and around the world.

Terming Green Jobs as “the most relevant issue of present times” Mr. Rawat said that “the definition of Green Jobs should be flexible enough to incorporate the local situations and conditions”. He further stated that “a Green Job is one that helps to bring about, and maintain a transition, to environmentally sustainable forms of production and consumption.”

Ms. Sachiko Yamamoto, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific reiterated that “Green Jobs have become an emblem of a more sustainable economy and society that preserve the environment for the present and future generations and that are more equitable and inclusive of all people and all countries.” She lauded the 11th Five Year Plan of India “with its core focus on pursuing an inclusive growth trajectory” she said there is “ample scope for addressing the linkages between environment and employment and this applies also to programmes and schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act”.

Key issues being discussed at the two day conference include the employment and labour market implications of environment-related measures, potential for green jobs promotion in the Indian policy framework, the transition to more sustainable economies and societies, and sectoral discussions related to renewable energy, waste management and green buildings.

The ILO Green Jobs Programme is being piloted in a number of countries. In Asia these include India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and the Philippines Pilot activities in India aim at creating a knowledge base on existing and potential green jobs, demonstrate innovative approaches for creating environmentally friendly employment prospects and for promoting decent work and improved environmental performance of existing jobs and enterprises, and to support venues for policy discussion.

It has now become apparent that the overriding priorities of growth, job creation and poverty reduction need to be linked to efforts to achieve ecological sustainability, while environmental measures also need to be embedded the overarching trajectory of economic and social development.

In recognition of such linkages a Multistakeholder Taskforce on Green Jobs and Climate Change was established in March 2009. The Multistakeholder Taskforce on Green Jobs and Climate Change was constituted under the leadership of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Government of India, with support from the International Labour Organization. The Taskforce comprises representatives from government departments, workers' and employers' organizations, research institutes and non-governmental organizations that come together to seek to address the employment and labour market dimensions of environment-related policies and strategies for the promotion of environmentally friendly opportunities for decent work.