Governments play a key role in drafting and managing just transition strategies in developing countries. A new Climate Strategies report based on case studies in Ghana, Colombia and Indonesia finds there is no one-size-fits-all approach to just transitions. Rather, each country needs to develop its own definition to respond to the needs of their citizens and economies.
- Developing just transition strategies in developing countries requires establishing and maintaining relationships with relevant stakeholders to enable ownership of the just transition process.
- Collaboration and co-production allow stakeholders to address current and potential inequalities.
- There’s a need to further develop the just transition framework to consider the situation of developing countries.
Collaboration with partners in Colombia, Ghana and Indonesia
Researchers from Colombia (Fedesarrollo), Ghana (University of Ghana) and Indonesia (Dala Institute) contributed to the report. The research teams also prepared reports for each country (Read the reports for Ghana, Colombia and Indonesia).
While the situation of each country is different, all three countries have a relatively high share of informal workers. This differentiates them from developed countries where all or most workers are formally employed and the just transition framework is more established. The three in-country research partners also found that none of the countries has so far considered integrating just transition strategies in their responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, most government measures directly responded to the health crisis.
Guiding principles for governments
To support governments in defining and managing a just transition for their countries, the report lists several guiding principles. They aim to help governments build the institutional foundation for a just transition and ensure participatory decision-making.
The report, for example, recommends establishing a just transition working group with government officials and relevant stakeholders. Governments could also assign a dedicated department to coordinate their just transition work. By engaging relevant people, groups and communities, governments can uncover existing inequalities which they can tackle as part of a country’s just transition strategies.
The research is supported by the European Climate Foundation. In the next stage of the project, Climate Strategies will expand the research to six additional countries.