20 March 2017
UNFCCC, ILO Partner for Decent Work, Just Transition
UN Photo/R Marklin
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The UNFCCC and the ILO signed a MoU to promote decent jobs and a just transition towards sustainable economies and societies for all.

A range of activities included in the MoU will help countries integrate decent work and a just transition into their national climate change policies.

17 March 2017: The world’s central fora for addressing climate change and for protecting labor have come together to promote decent work and a “just transition” of the workforce towards sustainable economies and societies for all.

The UNFCCC and the International Labour Organization (ILO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bolster efforts to create jobs and protect workers in the transition to a low-carbon, climate-safe world. This partnership is an example of working across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 13 (climate action) as envisioned by SDG 17 (partnerships).

The organizations view the MoU as bringing a “substantial contribution to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.” In part, the MoU recognizes that the support of workers and employers is key to driving more ambitious climate action, and, in turn, that climate change policies can create jobs. In the preamble of the Paris Agreement, Parties take into account “the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities.”

The ILO and the UNFCCC will undertake studies at the global and national levels to measure how climate change and employment transitions affect different sectors.

A range of activities included in the MoU will help countries to integrate decent work and a just transition into their national climate change policies. The ILO and the UNFCCC will undertake studies at the global and national levels to measure how climate change and employment transitions affect different sectors. These assessments can help guide countries in their national policies in areas such as employment, social protection, occupational health and safety, industrial restructuring, skills needs identification and development.

The MoU also outlines various activities, such as a review of national and regional experiences, the strengthening of the social dialogue between governments and social partners, and further capacity building programmes on climate change and decent work for developing countries. [ILO Press Release]

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