Speakers at an HLPF side event said that since the 2030 Agenda aims to be transformative, the global community must learn how to manage transitions practically, inclusively and fairly.
Panelists highlighted multi-stakeholder commissions that were created to address coal phase out processes in Chile and Germany, and explored emerging best practices in securing “just transitions”.
15 July 2019: Given that the 2030 Agenda aims to be transformative, the global community must learn how to manage transitions practically, inclusively and fairly. This was the key message coming out of a side event to the 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Hosted by Germany, Chile and the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 15 July 2019, the side event on ‘Just transition, but how?’ highlighted multi-stakeholder commissions that were created to address coal phase out processes in Chile and Germany as examples for shaping transformation processes when there are conflicting interests. The event, moderated by Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Coordinator of the ILO Green Jobs Programme, explored emerging best practices in securing “just transitions.”
Philipp Steinberg, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Germany, shared lessons learned from the German Commission on Growth, Structural Change and Employment, a nine-month multi-stakeholder group that made policy recommendations to the government in an effort to ensure a smooth transition away from coal. Steinberg noted five success factors of the Commission: clear political guidance; a well-defined mandate; high-level political support; a variety of stakeholders involved in the process; and a targeted and well-informed working atmosphere.
Jan Philipp Paprotny from the German Federation of Unions provided workers’ perspective on such transitions. He affirmed the importance of hearing the voices of the people most affected.
Jorge Iglesias, Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained the decarbonization process currently under way in his country. He reported that coal-fired power plants will be completely phased out by the year 2040, with eight of the 28 coal plants in the country being retired in the next five years. Iglesias said the Chilean-German Energy Partnership was established in April 2019 to exchange best practices on energy policies, integration of renewable energies, energy efficiency, business models for energy transition, frameworks for private-sector investments, and capacity-building & public awareness raising. It was noted that this is an excellent example of North-South collaboration and mutual learning, which are required to achieve the SDGs.
Panelists from civil society, research, the UN and the business community shared their perspectives on just transitions. Marianne Beisheim of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs said many of the commissions’ practices align with research on good partnership building and multi-stakeholder engagement. These practices include setting a clear mandate, securing political support, establishing governance/voting structures, and ensuring adequate finances to support the participation of actors.
Norine Kennedy from the US Council for International Business noted that the lessons gleaned from energy transition will be useful in other large transformations that society is facing such as digitalization and automation. Kali Taylor from the International Institute for Sustainable Development shared the “4 C” framework for policy makers aiming to initiate or support a just transition. The framework consists of:
Andrea Guerrero Garcia from the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit team said the Secretary-General’s office will announce a “just transition commitment” during the Climate Action Summit in September 2019. Through this commitment, countries can pledge to pursue a just transition (to inquire or join, contact spdcast@un.org).
Discussion among participants emphasized the importance of considering transitions at multiple levels (national, regional, and local); utilizing a variety of policy tools that will support communities through the process; and authentically engaging as many diverse voices as possible in decision-making.
The 2019 HLPF took place from 9-18 July, in New York, US. [SDG Knowledge Hub sources] [IISD Reporting Services coverage of HLPF 2019]