Promoting decent work in a green economy: ILO background note

The ILO has worked closely together with UNEP in developing and writing the Report, rooted in the earlier partnership that produced the seminal Green Jobs Report in 2008. The purpose of the ILO’s collaboration in the Green Economy Report is to strengthen the analysis of the implications on the labour market –enterprises, workers and the self-employed– of setting and achieving environmental goals. The structural transformation brings along changes in employment patterns and skills requirements, along with new business opportunities and the need for responsible management practices. It may also cause the contraction of sectors and enterprises which are incompatible with long term sustainable development. The management of this change needs to be fair and must ensure sufficient protection and access to alternative for those negatively affected. The ILO’s aim to provide decent work translates in the adoption of a “just transition’’ framework for the construction of a fairer, greener and more sustainable globalization.