Page 31 - IB FEB 2018

Economy

facturing, construction and installation; a complex exercise in which horizontal efforts and attention to creating jobs that
expansion of the environmental industries; policy coordination across ministries of are decent, jobs that have quality and jobs
and the green building and construction education, labour and environment is that develop our human capital with the
sector,” she said. needed,” she said. skills for today’s needs and tomorrow’s
She shared that skills shortages will Tomoko Nishimoto, ILO Assistant employability.”
continue to increase, “particularly for jobs Director-General and Regional Director for Green just transition and decent was
requiring highly skilled workers.” Asia and the Pacific said policy coherence also part of the dialogue at the COP23
Transitioning not only to a greener for a just transition and convergence of all conference in Bonn, Germany last year,
economy but ensuring transition rich in actions was vital. including prominent representatives of the
green and decent jobs was directly con- “More efforts are needed to improve current, prior two and next COP presiden-
nected to the wellbeing of people and policy coherence of government at all cies. The dialogue discussed the emerging
communities and to the sustainability of levels, business leaders, workers, financial consensus decent work and social inclu-
people’s livelihoods and societies - which institutions, research institutions and local sion dimensions of climate action needed
has become priority. communities,” he said. to be front and centre if environmental
Martinez said just transition needed to “The alignment of employment, educa- sustainability was to be achieved in a
address reform of education systems and tion, environment, energy and climate sufficiently rapid and equitable manner.
the lack of teachers and trainers in new finance policies can accelerate climate The International Labour Organisation
green areas. action and speed up a just transition to (ILO) plays a leading role in promoting
“For less developed countries, mod- more sustainable societies.” a just transition to sustainability and
ernising their skills production, both in Nishimoto stressed that while there decent work.
the general education system and in the was focus on achieving this high ambi-
specialised vocational training system, is tion in the region, “we must also turn our r priyameyou@gmail.com

The new titanic challenge natural disasters am-
plified by a changing
climate. Countries all
around the world are
being pushed out of
their comfort zones,
forcing them to adapt
and become resilient
whilst going through
this change.
A green just transi-
tion is high on priority
for both developed
and developing re-
gions. However, while
transitioning to a low-
carbon economy make
for a healthy, safer
and even more resil-
ient community, and
can bring opportuni-
ties for the future of
work, new challenges
stand in the way.
According to In-
ternational Labour
Organisation’s (ILO)
Like the passengers on the ill-fated Titanic, rich and poor nations will suffer the same fate when climate change takes its toll on the planet.
Photo: National Geographic Specialist on Envi-
ronment and Decent
By Priya Chand seat in, when the ship sank, it took down Work Christina Martinez, the challenges
nearly everyone – despite the class. are for developed and developing coun-
WHETHER you live in a developed In this regard, countries that have not tries, “but for the Pacific Islands the impact
country or a developing one, imagine contributed significantly but are severely of climate change is well understood by all
yourself on the grand Titanic ship that affected by climate change may go down in the community; it’s an issue of survival
sank in 1912. The ice-berg that sank first, but gradually, so will countries that of the unique way of life in remote islands,
Titanic now eerily appears to be an an- have emitted the most greenhouse gases. of the equilibrium of men and nature
ecdote to climate change. In the end, it The world of work is now quickly achieved in the islands.”
need not matter what class one took a changing in light of increasing rate of “Preserving this way of life concerns

Islands Business, February 2018 31