Tuesday 5th December | 16:30 – 18:00 GST

Location: Online or in-person at the EU Pavilion

This side event, co-organised by the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition, will bring together high-level stakeholders from policy, industry, labour and youth to discuss just and equitable ways to achieve the net-zero transition and build the workforce of tomorrow exploring current and future workforce dynamics and sharing best practices for job creation and green economic development in the most affected regions. The event will also focus on the perspectives of younger generations and how these are being integrated into just transition practices.

Context

Global efforts to address climate change will require major restructuring of many industrial sectors, notably energy and energy/carbon intensive industries. The transition to a low-carbon and net-zero economies, while presenting opportunities globally, will have significant implications for the existing and future workforce. Most studies that investigate the impacts of climate mitigation policies on employment highlight the net positive gains, however, the distribution of these impacts is uneven with specific sectors and regions more at risk than others.

To build the workforce of tomorrow in a just and equitable way and ensure that the benefits of a new green economy are evenly distributed, governments and other stakeholders must support regions and sectors that will be disproportionately affected and assist the current workforce through the transition while minimising negative social impacts on individuals, vulnerable groups, and their communities.

The net-zero transition must also consider the changing priorities and perspectives of younger generations in light of ongoing macro-trends such as globalisation, urbanisation and digitalisation to anticipate employment gaps while simultaneously ‘futureproofing’ the labour force.

Just Transition and the Green Deal Industrial Plan are key pillars of the European Green Deal that aim to
support vulnerable EU regions and develop Europe’s net-zero industry while minimising negative social
impacts. Just Transition principles are similarly incorporated into other countries’ efforts to modernise their economies, including developing countries where such policies and strategies must address concurrent challenges such as informality of the workforce, energy access and poverty, including energy poverty.

Speakers

Moderator: Anabella Rosemberg, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

Opening keynote speech: Cristina Lobillo, Director for Energy Platform Task Force, DG ENER, European Commission

Scene-setting interventions

• Mirnes Bajtarević, Mayor of Kakanj, Bosnia & Herzegovina (video intervention)
• Shikhar Jain, Executive Director, CII – ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD)

Panellists

• Vivi Yulaswati, Deputy Minister for Natural Resources, Ministry of National Development Planning
  (Bappenas), Government of Indonesia
• Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Director, Priority Action Programme, Just transitions towards
  environmentally sustainable economies and societies, ILO
• Gonzalo Sáenz de Miera, Global Director of Climate change and Alliances, Iberdrola
• Sarra Mansour, International Youth Delegate for COP28, Gender and Youth Intern with SEforALL and
  YOUNGO Energy Working Group representative

Agenda