Climate change in the MENA region affects sectors such as agriculture, tourism, health, governance, and infrastructure, significantly impacting workers and their incomes.

The need for a just transition was also discussed extensively last year during the first-ever Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week held from 28 to 31 March 2022 in Dubai, where ILO, together with the UNFCCC secretariat, organised a four-day training on Climate Policy Perspectives and Energy Transition in MENA Region and a one-day workshop on Youth, Climate Change and Employment Opportunities.

Following this initiative and this social dialogue, ILO, in cooperation with its International Training Centre (ITCILO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), convened the MENA Leadership Programme on the Just Transition. 

Participants from Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen confirmed their commitment to strengthen the capacities of representatives from government, workers’ and employers’ organisations in the MENA region to reflect aspects around labour market impacts in policies to implement climate change commitments successfully.

“Working to address climate change by shifting to a low-carbon future is a clear priority for the MENA region. Although such a transition will entail profound changes to the region’s economies and societies, it will, in the long run, generate gains in employment, social development, and economic growth through investing in future-oriented industries, technologies, and jobs”, said ILO Deputy Regional Director for Arab States Peter Rademaker.

He also confirmed ILO’s commitment to supporting a just transition to a sustainable future and developing policies to mitigate the shift’s negative impacts on the labour market.

You can find here the latest news on a recent report on the transition of enterprises and workplaces.