JAKARTA (ILO News): Climate change is an issue of high priority for Indonesia. Like many other countries in Asia and the Pacific, Indonesia has also voluntarily committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions or carbon intensity per unit of GDP by 2020. Indonesia is committed to reducing its GHG emission to 26 per cent – and 41 per cent by 2020 from its Business As Usual in 2005 in case of international assistance. In addition, the Government of Indonesia introduced the Indonesia Climate Change Sectoral with the aim to mainstream climate change in the Indonesian national mid-term development plan.

To assist Indonesia in transforming into a sustainable and low-carbon development, the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, will conduct a two-day National Conference titled “Green Jobs: The Way Forward” from 16 – 17 December 2010 at Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta. The Conference will be officially opened by the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, HE. Budiono, the Environment Minister, Gusti Muhammad Hatta, and the ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Sachiko Yamamoto.

The Conference is aimed to share experiences and ideas on how Indonesia can address the two main challenges of modern times, which are to create millions of jobs and decent work to the millions of new comers on the labor market while generating less carbon in the economy and tackling the issue of climate change. The conference will present ways of facilitating environmentally, economically and socially sustainable paths of development with sustainable enterprises and more green jobs, in particular for the poor.

The Conference is also aimed to identify existing government policies that could promote the creation of green jobs and introduce the preliminary elements of an Indonesian Green Jobs Road Map that facilitates a smooth transition for enterprises and workers to a low-carbon, environmentally friendly economy. The Conference will also mark the launch of the ILO’s new “Green Jobs Project in Asia”, funded by the Australian Government.

The Green jobs initiative is a partnership established in 2007 between the ILO, the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Trade Union Confederation. The International Organization of Employers joined in 2008. It is part of the ILO’s effort to help realize the potential for green jobs and a positive labour market transition in the face of climate change. Green jobs also contribute to a low-carbon development, adaptation to the impacts of climate change and reducing the environmental impacts of enterprises and economic sectors, ultimately to levels that are sustainable.

“Indonesia is playing an active and constructive role in the international negotiations and has committed to making a strong contribution to global change mitigation. This commitment is what urgently needed to deal with the complex challenge of maintaining the economic growth and promoting opportunities for decent work while reducing their environmental impact,” said Ms Sachiko Yamamoto, the ILO’s Regional Director.

The Green Jobs project will be implemented in five countries in Asia including Indonesia for two years until the year of 2012. Other countries include the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. This project will contribute directly to national programs and initiatives relating to climate change, environment and recovery from the economic crisis.

Main activities of this project include setting-up a national tripartite task force on green jobs, training/information program addressing the particular needs of the social partners (employers and trade unions), study on the environment-employment-economy linkages in Indonesia and a demonstration project for the creation of green jobs and decent work.

The ILO’s tripartite constituents (governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations) are the key group targeted by the Project. Through social dialogue, the project will mainstream green jobs and related policies into the Decent Work Country Programme, and The Project will also target specific economic sectors to shift to a climate-resilient economy, which would help accelerate job recovery, reduce social gaps, and realize decent work.

For further information please contact:

Mr Muce Mochtar
National Project Coordinator of Green Jobs in Indonesia
Tel.: +6221 391 3112 ext. 103
Email

Ms Gita Lingga
Media Officer
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Mobile: +62815 884 5833
Email