Funded by the government of the Kingdom of Netherlands, ILO implemented activities based on the experience of ILO’s ‘Green Jobs in Asia’ project. The project focused on green livelihood skills training for targeted households of the Hakaluki Haor (Wetland of MoulviBazar and Sylhet Districts) and Cox’s Bazar to promote sustainable rural livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and to reduce dependency of the targeted households on this critically endangered aquatic ecosystem. The project complemented the interventions of the UNDP's “Coastal and Wetland Biodiversity Management Project“(CWBMP II) at Hakaluki Haor and Cox’s Bazar by adding a Green Jobs component.
 
The Haor area (wetlands), comprised of perennial water bodies, is vulnerable to flash flooding, heavy flooding and other adverse climate change related impacts. As such, the lives and livelihoods of the people in the Haor area are particularly vulnerable and the creation of ‘green jobs’ would have ecological as well as socio-economic benefits. Hakaluki Haor and Cox's Bazar have been declared ecological critical areas (ECA) in Bangladesh.

The project supported initiatives such as:

• Skills training for Solar Home System (SHS) Technicians for unemployed youth of the project areas in collaboration Grameen Shakti ( a pioneer organization in promoting renewable energy/SHS) , Bureau of Manpower, Employment & Training (BMET) and its Technical Training Centres (TTCs) of Sylhet, Comilla and Chittagong
• Supply and installation of Improved Cooking Stoves (ICSs) in collaboration Grameen Shakti for vulnerable communities, especially women led households) to reduce dependency on fire woods and reduce carbon emission as well as generate employment on manufacturing and maintenance of ICSs.
•  Promotion of green enterprises and organic through entrepreneurships and skills training using ILO Training for Economic Empowerment (TREE) methodology and tools for providing alterative employment opportunities (green jobs) for the poor and vulnerable women of Hakaluki Haor and Cox’s Bazar ECA. 
• Development of partnerships with the local government, NGOs and other actors involved in climate change issues and livelihoods improvement in the project area.
• Awareness programme on maintaining the natural resources base.

Output achieved

The ILO intervention contributed towards green development with the project stakeholders as below:

Project Location	Implementing Partne	Outputs
Hakaluki Haor, Moluvi Bazar/Sylhet	Centre for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS)	•    Organized local level awareness raising program on conservation & maintaining natural resources base •    Developed & maintained database of project beneficiaries •    Identified, selected & trained 3,000 women beneficiaries & assisted to install & use of 3,000 ICSs in Households •    Conducted community assessment using ILO TREE tools & provided livelihoods/entrepreneurships training on duck rearing, ICS maintenance & organic farming to 50 women
Cox's Bazar	Nature Conservation Management(NACOM)	•    Organized local level awareness raising program on conservation & maintaining natural resources base •    Developed & maintained database of project beneficiaries •    Identified, selected & trained 2,000 women beneficiaries & assisted to install & use of 2,000 ICs in Households •    Trained in collaboration with the ILO 20 local Trainers for using ILO TREE tools and on green skills identification •    Conducted community assessment using ILO TREE tools & provided livelihoods/entrepreneurships training to 30 women on ICS maintenance & organic farming such honey & mushroom cultivation etc.
Sylhet, Moulvi Bazar (Hakaluki Haor) & Cox’s Bazar	Grameen Shakti(GS)	•    Conducted TOT for 36 Instructors from TTCs & GS on SHS Technician Training in Sylhet, Comilla & Chittagong •    Supplied & installed 5000 ICS in Hakaluki Haor & Cox’s Bazar in Households •    Organised post training support on employment (wage & self) of trained SHS Technicians
	Bureau of Manpower, Employment & Training (BMET)	•    Organised & trained 286 unemployed youth from Hakaluki Haor & Cox’s Bazar as skilled SHS Technicians

In the process and ILO Interventions, ILO Green Jobs Promoted in the ECA areas contributed to:

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Contributing issues:	Contribution to climate change & improved adaptation
Climate smart & resilience:	The project provided supported on installation of Improved Cook Stoves (ICS) which reduces GHG emission and indoor air pollution Solar technician training provided local youth with independent green business ideas and promotion of Solar Home Systems (SHS) that will contribute generation of renewable energy as well help reduce the emission of carbon in ECAs Women’s entrepreneurship training on Green Jobs provides to access to environmentally friendly green livelihoods aimed to preserve nature and reduce vulnerability of communities/families Awareness raising activities created knowledge and understanding on climate change, increase adaptability to climate change as well as on nature conservation
Climate adaptation (building resilience) or mitigation (reducing emissions)	The ILO project ‘Green Livelihoods for Communities of Threatened Ecological Areas’ has contributed to both climate adaptation and mitigation. By installation and use of ICS less fuel wood is being consumed leading to conservation of mangrove forest and other indigenous forest which in turn is leading to a significant reduction in carbon emission.
Impacts of climate change	Reduction of GHG emission in the project areas Forest coverage growing as less use of trees as fuel wood People’s capacity and awareness on green jobs promoting livelihoods are helping build economies that will grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, as well as less carbon intensive and more resilient to climate change
Visible/measureable results on adaptation/mitigation?	5,000 ICS’s have been installed and all are operational in ECA areas of Hakaluki Haor and Cox’s Bazar that help to save 2,000 medium sized trees per year With use of the ICS’s approximately 2,000 tons of carbon emission is being reduced each year 286 unemployed youth have been trained on green jobs for access to electricity living in ECA areas (villages). Thus use of SHS technology has become a smart effort by harnessing renewable energy that also help save the nature. 80 women were trained on green entrepreneurship resulting in adaptation/mitigation on effect of climate change in their lives and livelihoods These above activities are encouraging more people to volunteer and get trained
Potential private sector partnerships mechanisms exist that will stimulate investments to support climate resilience in the transition from aid to trade	Ecotourism Value added crop production for livelihood improvement (Strawberries, Capsicum, Guava etc) Waste management
Challenges/obstacles  encountered in addressing adaptation/mitigation	The main challenge was the lack of awareness of the target communities about climate change impact at the grassroots level To address this, project partners like Nature Conservation Management (NACOM), Centre for Natural Resources Studies (CNRS) and Grameen Shakti held awareness raising and sensitization programs in the form of folk dramas and information campaign through bill boards and distribution posters/leaflets
Strengthening activities to address adaptation and mitigation	More focus on awareness through locally suitable and innovative methods Intensive involvement of communities and strengthening community based organizations like Community Based Committees More focus on green livelihoods improvement with access to alternate livelihoods and income generation activities for reduction in the use of carbon-intensive inputs (such as electricity, aluminum and cement).

Critical success factors of labour market interventions

• Policy level support from the Government for green growth;
• Providing incentives for youth for green occupations and green business development;
• Skills training on emerging green occupations and market support;
• Private sector participation in the green economy;
• Stronger advocacy and awareness raising at both policy and community levels for green growth.
• Aligning the TVET system with the green skills and green occupations and conduct demand analysis.

Challenges and key policy barriers

• Challenges for the green economy include:
• Implementation of policies adopted by the government;
• Weak implementation machinery and lack of human resources to support the green economy at sectoral levels.
• Participation of the private sector and community level awareness and advocacy to support conservation of natural resources and introduce green practices;
• Setting up of baseline and monitor the results of the key interventions.
• Finding alternative livelihoods for the population affected by climate change.