Page 286 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 1

STS429 Catherine S.
11. Institutions, policy-making and effective implementation are key
for a just transition
Social dialogue, the elimination of discrimination in employment and
occupation, and good governance are the foundations of an effective and just
transition. For example, the involvement of central and local governments,
social partners and NGOs in debates on climate change at the national level
has led to the integration of economic, social and environmental objectives.
Tax reform can support the transition to a green economy, while at the same
time facilitating employment creation.
Low-income and some middle-income countries need support to develop
data collection, identify and adopt best practices, strengthen implementation
and finance both mitigation and adaptation strategies in order to achieve a
just transition to environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all.
A just transition requires identifying and implementing policy solutions to
some of the most pressing challenges to the future of work that also affect
climate change, such as employment and working conditions in the rural
economy, demographic shifts and globalization.

12. A just transition offers enhanced potential for decent job creation
through the integration of labour and environmental issues
This ILO report quantifies job losses and job creation in the transition to a
green economy, based on projections to 2030 founded on the agreed policy
goal of limiting global warming to 2°C. More generally, it finds that the
greening of economies can have a positive overall effect on growth and jobs.
Positive employment outcomes will also probably apply in the 1.5°C scenario,
as encouraged by the Paris Agreement.
The report shows that environmental laws, regulations and policies that
include labour issues offer a powerful means of integrating elements of the
Decent Work Agenda with environmental objectives. This is true for social
protection programmes, skills development programmes, macroeconomic
policy and the legal framework. Though some degree of integration is
observed in all these domains, it is not yet systematic and not yet universal.
For example, while environmental legal frameworks can be effective in
combining some elements of the Decent Work Agenda with environmental
objectives, the respective provisions often focus on particular groups of
workers (such as additional support for local communities, training in areas
that are key for the transition, and the protection of workers in specific
sectors). The transition affects all workers, however; the universality of rights
and protection therefore remains important in order to ensure that the
transition delivers inclusive growth and decent work.

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