Green Jobs for Sustainable Development: Concepts and practices

OBJECTIVES The overall objective of this course was to improve the understanding of green jobs key concepts and definitions as part of the world of work’s contribution to sustainable development through a review of tools, selected literature and on-going practices. After attending this course, it is expected that participants are able to: • Understand the links between environment, economy and society and are able to explain their interrelated challenges; • Can argue why green jobs are key to promote sustainable development; • Are able to describe what green and decent jobs are; • Know in which sectors green jobs are mostly concentrated and can provide examples from different regions and countries; • Recognize the role of governments and social partners in the promotion of policy coherence for the transition to greener and more sustainable economies; • Appreciate best practices and useful case studies that illustrate the variety of approaches to fully exploit the business growth and job creation potential of the green building and construction industry, while promoting its environmental and social sustainability. CONTENT According to the ILO, jobs are understood as “green” when they help reduce negative environmental impact, ultimately leading to environmentally, economically and socially sustainable enterprises and economies. Green jobs are also decent jobs that provide adequate incomes, social protection and ensure the respect for the rights of workers. In this framework, the course was structured around 4 learning modules, addressing 4 fundamental questions: • WHY are green jobs key to sustainable development? • WHAT is exactly a green (and decent) job? • WHERE can green jobs be found and/or created? • HOW can green jobs be promoted and by whom? Special attention was given to the approaches of the ILO Green Jobs Programme across various economic sectors, at national and local level. Furthermore, each course module included a specific focus on gender and environment with the objective of understanding how to promote gender equality through green jobs.