The Climate Action for Jobs Initiative unites global efforts on the environment and decent work

The Initiative

Climate and employment goals can and must go hand in hand.

The Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted in 2015, highlights the imperatives of a just transition and the creation of decent work as essential dimensions of climate change. While some important progress has been made, the required scale of efforts needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is not yet enough. The Climate Action for Jobs Initiative will contribute to a Decade of Action, accelerating climate action through a just transition.

Vision and Mission

The Initiative will:

Enable ambitious climate action that delivers decent jobs and advances social justice.
Support countries on bold solutions for a transition towards a sustainable future that is just and enjoys broad-based support.
Facilitate an inclusive and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

News and Stories

Learn about the latest updates and hear from those engaged in a just transition.
The Initiative amplifies important messages about decent work and a just transition as key drivers of climate action.

December 21, 2023

Group photo of speakers in High-Level Opening Just Transition Pavillion: Just Transition Pathways - This Way to Social Justice at COP28, Dubai. 4 December 2023.

December 21, 2023

High-Level Opening: Just Transition Pathway – This Way to Social Justice

Keeping the social dimension of climate change at the forefront of discussions was the focus of events being organized in the Just Transition Pavilion at the Conference of Parties 28th session (COP28) in Dubai, UAE. For the second year in a row, the ILO and the European Commission are hosting the Just Transition Pavilion, a convening space for events, meetings and knowledge sharing around just transition and climate action in cooperation with the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

November 20, 2023

Top 5 events on youth at COP28

In the face of the global climate crisis, integrating youth into the UN climate processes is paramount for several reasons. Youth continue to be disproportionately hit by a climate crisis they have not created. Still, young people are not only victims of climate change but also important agents of change. In essence, empowering youth within these crucial discussions is an investment in a more inclusive, informed, and effective global response to the climate crisis.

August 28, 2023

ILO builds the capacity of social partners and stakeholders on Just Transition in Nigeria

The training programme was oriented along the recommendations provided in the ILO Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. Participants gained a better understanding on how to reflect aspects around labour market impacts and social justice in the process of shaping a comprehensive set of policies to successfully implement climate change commitments.

Action

The Initiative helps countries create quality jobs while simultaneously delivering on climate goals and supporting those affected by the shift to carbon-neutral economies. As governments around the world plan for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, the Initiative can help them to build back better, fostering sustainable and resilient economies with decent work.

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Resources and Innovation

Research and resources: Research and knowledge generation inform policy measures that can work in specific national contexts. Through the initiative, partners have access to data, methodologies and findings, contribute to global and national studies, and make use of channels that connect researchers and policy makers.

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Just Transition Innovation Facility: The challenges that are at the crossroad between decent work and climate change are complex and cannot be addressed by a traditional linear problem-solving process, nor by any single stakeholder on their own. They require a vision-oriented network of innovators ready to develop responses that break with business-as-usual. The Innovation Facility provides a space to source high-potential ideas and turn them into effective scalable solutions.