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Enabling a Inclusive Green Economy

Green Jobs and Decent Work in South Africa

Karl Pfeffer, ILO CO Pretoria

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South Africa: ILO framework

Decent Work Country programme 2010-2014

- Signed September 2010- Implementation and monitoring within NEDLAC- 4 priorities

- Strengthening fundamental principles and rights at work- Promotion of Employment Creation- Strengthening and broadening social protection coverage- Strengthening tripartism and social dialogue

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South Africa: ILO framework

Priority Promotion of Employment Creation- Outcome 3: More women and men, especially youth

and persons with disabilities, have access to productive and decent employment through inclusive job rich growth

- Output 3.7. Coherent policy framework developed for the adoption of employment intensive investments in green production both the formal and informal economies

- Outcome 4: Sustainable and competitive enterprises create productive and decent Jobs especially among women, youth and persons with disabilities

- Output 4.2. Support for coherent and enabling policy environment for the promotion of sustainable enterprises

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South Africa: Socio-economic Background

• Deep structural unemployment– 25% National average– Over 30% if discouraged work seekers are included– North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Eastern Cape have an

unemployment rate of over 40%.

• Youth Unemployment– majority of the unemployed (just under 70%) are between the ages

of 15 to 34– 90% of those unemployed are between the ages of 15 and 44

• Small informal sector

• Current economic model struggling to create job rich people centered economic growth

South Africa: Climate Change and environment: Challenges

- Electricity and non renewable resources (coal-fired power stations (providing 80% of SA energy supply))

- Construction: buildings and construction one of the biggest consumers of electricity (AC, hearing,…)- Recycling- Green materials (cfr. Cement)- Energy saving devices and SWH

- Mining : level of pollution caused in the process of extracting and processing the minerals, and the environmental legacy left by past mining, acid mine drainage, surface and groundwater pollution, soil contamination, siltation, contamination of aquatic sediments and fauna, air pollution from dust,

Impact of climate change could be dramatic in long term threatening the

livelihoods of thousands of South Africans

South Africa: Climate Change and environment: Challenges

- South Africa’s coastal regions will warm by around 1-2°C by about 2050 and around 3-4°C by about 2100;

- South Africa’s interior regions will warm by around 3-4°C by about 2050 and around 6-7°C by about 2100;

- There will be an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather event

Green Jobs Framework: 2 challenges

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Environment: Averting climate change

Protecting life-support

on earth

Social challeng

e: Decent work

for allWell-being and dignity

for the excluded

Green Jobs provide the linking element to address the dual challenge It is at workplaces that the environmental and social challenge comes inseparably together

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Social development

Environmental sustainability

Green Jobs

Green Jobs are Jobs in Agriculture, Manufacturing or Service that:

Reduce consumption of energy and raw materials Limit Green House Gas emissions Minimize waste and pollution Protect and restore ecosystems

Adapt to Climate Change

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.. and Green Jobs are Decent Jobs:

Productive and gainfulRecognizing rights at work

Ensure a minimum of social protectionSocial Dialogue

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What are Green jobs?

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South Africa, New Growth Strategy:Green Economy Accord to create 300.000 new green jobs

• South African government, business and labour have signed a new accord in 2011

• One of the most comprehensive social partnerships on "green economy” in the world

• Geared to create 300,000 jobs within the next 10 years

Green Jobs and the role of Trade Unions

Trade Unions were involved from the beginning in the climate change debate 1992 Rio Earth Summit

Workers are central to greening of the Economy not technology“As representatives of the workers, trade unions are vital actors in facilitating the achievement of sustainable development in view of their experience in addressing industrial change, the extremely high priority they give to protection of the working environment and the related natural environment.” Chapter 29 of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit’s Agenda for Change

• Climate change will have impact on employment (positive and negative)

Key concept:Just Transition

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Green Jobs and the role of Trade Unions

• Just transition concept originated in the TU movement and new widely adopted

• ITUC in 20100 reconfirmed the importance of social progress, environmental protection and economic needs

• Just Transition concept stresses need for public policy needs in order to maximize benefits and minimize hardship for workers affected by climate change and transition to green economy

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Green Jobs and the role of Trade Unions- Just Transition

• social dialogue and early assessment of social and employment impacts

• Training and skills development

• Social protection

• Economic diversification plans

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Green Jobs and the role of Trade Unions

- DWCP – instrument for delivery of ILO cooperation in aspecific country - links priorities of the constituents & theILO – expected to be formulated through a tripartite participatory

process - Trade unions can use the DWCPs as a platform to work on

Green Jobs Initiatives. It would be important to know:- Who is involved in DWCPs at country level?- What proposals can unions put forward?- Which kind of capacity building initiatives can ILO support?

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Green Jobs and Tourism: Challenges/potential

GhG emission relatively minor, but can increase if business as usual is maintained

Car travel and accommodation account for 53% of GhG emission produced by Tourism sector

Growing number of tourists Waste (1kg/day) Water (gardens/laundry/toilets/showers/…) Loss of biological diversity

Increasingly remote areas Increasingly intense transport modes

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Green Jobs and Tourism: Challenges/potential

• Tourism has the significant potential as a driver for growth for the world economy (directly and indirectly/ gender/ youth)– 5% of world GDP– 6-7% employment

• Green tourism has the potential to create new jobs and reduce poverty– Labour intensive– Women and young people– Low entry level regarding skills– Local supply of products, services and Labour (local development

through involvement in value chain)18

Green Jobs and Tourism Challenges/potential

• Investing in the greening of tourism can reduce the cost of water energy and waste and enhance the value of biodiversity – Short pay back period and create possibility for investment in other tourism

products

• Tourists are demanding the green and sustainable tourism– 1/3 is willing to pay more for environmental friendly tourism– 1/3 to ½ willing to pay more for tourism products benefitting local and indigenous

communities

• The private sector, especially small firms, can and must be mobilized to support green tourism– Awareness creation– Lack of finance– Key role government through tax schemes/subsidies/policies/ water and energy

pricing 19

Strategy towards sustainable enterprises and green and decent Jobs in Tourism

• Awareness raising– Urgency of adaptation/mitigation and impact of Namibian economy

and key sectors– Involvement of trade Unions/MOLSW/Employers– Awareness raising on greening of Tourism sector and opportunities

• Enabling policy environment– Social Dialogue– Finance, infrastructure, policy coherence, incentives for SME’s– Job creation, social inclusion– Skills development

• Support to small entrepreneurs/communities– Strengthened capacity of SME’s in a green economy

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