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111th Session of the International Labour Conference - Follow-up to the resolution concerning a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all - EU Statement

01.11.2023
Geneva
Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in Geneva

EU Statement

ILO Governing Body, 349th session

Matters arising out of the work of the 111th Session (2023) of the International Labour Conference - Follow-up to the resolution concerning a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all

Geneva, 30th October 2023

 

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries Albania*, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, the Republic of North Macedonia*, Moldova, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Türkiye and Ukraine, the potential candidate country Georgia, the EFTA countries of Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

  1. We thank the Office for the detailed document with a strategy and action plan as a follow-up to the resolution of the 111th ILC concerning a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all.
  2. This is very timely in the context of accelerating climate and environmental change which is exacerbating inequalities and social exclusion across the globe, profoundly impacting all ecosystems, societies, and economies in terms of social justice, poverty eradication and decent work.
  3. With the European Green Deal, the EU is already putting social justice at the heart of our ambitious race to net-zero and climate neutrality by 2050 which should leave no person, no household, and no region behind.
  4. During the 111th ILC, we had very fruitful discussions in the committee on “Just Transitions”, which led to balanced and operational conclusions.
  5. The EU and its Member States therefore welcome the proposed strategy and action plan. We see it as a faithful translation of the results of the ILC Committee into a relevant framework for action, where the ILO Guidelines, endorsed by the Conference, play a useful and cross-cutting role. We now look forward to how this document will be translated into concrete steps and activities. The EU and its Member States strongly support initiatives that address the needs of persons in vulnerable situations, with special consideration given to least developed countries and small island developing States.
  6. Firstly, we welcome the three objectives and the related outputs:
  • We acknowledge that a good knowledge base is an important foundation that needs to be continuously strengthened for further analysis and actions.
  • We support enhancing constituents’ capacities to design and implement gender responsive just transition policies and strategies through evidence-based, integrated and coordinated approaches, and
  • We strongly support that coherent approaches in international processes and partnerships need to be advanced. It will allow the ILO to participate more actively while grounded on expertise and partnerships in UN-COP meetings.
  1. We appreciate the cooperation with UN Organizations and IFIs, especially through the Global Accelerator and the Global Coalition for Social Justice.
  2. We would appreciate more details on the agencies and projects the ILO plans to concretely work on. Additionally important for us to understand are the strategic and operational interlinkages with ongoing ILO just transition related initiatives, namely the CA4J (Climate Action for Jobs Initiative) and the Global Accelerator and their respective activities (objective 3, output 12), so as not duplicate structures but rather ensure synergies, within ILO and beyond.
  3. We express our strong support for the principle of policy coherence across all levels and for triangular cooperation to make progress towards all three objectives. We believe the ILO is expertly placed in this regard.
  4. Secondly and more specifically, the EU supports the proposed outputs as well-fitting into the ILO’s work. Concerning the format of the tripartite meeting for further elaboration on “occupational safety and health in extreme weather events and changing weather pattern”, our preference is a tripartite expert meeting, instead of a tripartite technical meeting, as “just transition” needs clear scientific analysis and guidance.
  5. Finally, we see the importance of having a strong backing for all the activities in the Programme and Budget, especially for the up-coming biennial. Therefore, we would like to better understand how much of the budget will be dedicated to this important subject and ask for further details.
  6. The “just transition” is of high importance, and the EU and its Member States, look forward to making the “just transition” a more concrete reality, built and strongly supported by all of us.  

  7. With the comments provided above, we can support the decision point.

 

Thank you, Chair.

[*Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro* and Serbia* continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.]