21 June 2012: In the seventh and final installment of the UN News Centre’s “Seven Issues, Seven Experts” interview series, Peter Poschen, Director of the Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department at the International Labour Organization (ILO), discusses how sustainable enterprises can create jobs and reduce poverty while protecting the environment.

Poschen calls on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) to recognize the importance of jobs, specifically green jobs, in the new sustainable development paradigm, and to recognize the need for social protection. He urges governments to direct economic growth in sustainable directions and to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the majority of all employment globally.

Noting the disconnect between high rates of unemployment and the employment opportunities in sustainable enterprises, Poschen describes the lack of qualifications and skills that create these vacancies, calling for more efforts to encourage entrepreneurship and provide training to remediate this gap. He also encourages individuals to contribute to environmental sustainability in their workplaces.

“Seven Issues, Seven Experts” addressed each of the key areas identified by the UN ahead of Rio+20 as needing urgent attention: creation of jobs, access to energy, building sustainable cities, ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture, access to water, managements of oceans and disaster readiness. [UN News Centre Interview]