The Green Jobs in Asia Regional Conference, 29–31 August, hosted by the Government of Indonesia at Surabaya, was convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the support of the Australian Government – ILO Partnership Agreement (2010 – 2015), as a follow up to the ILO’s 15th  Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting which prioritized the transition to green jobs and identified key policy recommendations for their further promotion in the region. The issue of green jobs will also feature prominently at the next International Labour Conference at Geneva in June 2013.

The ILO defines green jobs as decent and productive employment that helps to reduce negative environmental impacts, ultimately leading to environmentally, economically and socially sustainable enterprises and economies.

Learning from the various experiences shared in the Surabaya Conference on the development of green jobs employment models, the greening of existing enterprises and youth employment opportunities, participants called for the replication, expansion and adaptation of these programs in other countries of the region.

The representatives from governments, employers’ organizations and workers’ organizations introduced their priorities for action and the way forward. They highlighted the need to work together in the short term on such issues as the mainstreaming of green jobs at policy level as well as in the work place through enhanced skills, local economic development, social finance and social protection.

“Indonesia’s development strategies emphasize four pillars – pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-poor and pro environment,” said Mr Abdulawahab Bangkona, Director-General of Training and Productivity in the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration. “The aims of the ILO’s Green Jobs in Asia Project are aligned with these development strategies.”

The ILO launched the Green Jobs in Asia project in 2010. The project’s main objective has been to develop the capacity of ILO constituents and national partners by strengthening policies and promoting opportunities for green jobs in five participating countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Delegates from China, Fiji, India, Malaysia and Thailand also participated in the regional conference.

“This is the first time a regional conference focusing solely on green jobs has been held in Asia and the Pacific,” said Mr Vincent Jugault, Senior Environment and Decent Work Specialist from the ILO Regional Office in Bangkok. “A lot is already happening on the ground and the meeting has identified critical ways to implement that on a wider scale.”

The ILO’s Green Jobs Initiative is the result of a partnership established in 2007 between the ILO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The International Organization of Employers (IOE) joined in 2008.

For further information please contact:

 Vincent Jugault, Senior Environment and Decent Work Specialist

Tel.: +66.2.288.2304/ Email: jugault@ilo.org

Allan Dow, Advocacy and Communications Officer

Tel: +66 2 288 2057/ Email: dow@ilo.org

ILO Press Release - For immediate release: Monday 3 September 2012 (ROAP/12/26)