Stakeholders’ consultation on assessment of green jobs

On 9 April, in Dhaka, a stakeholders’ consultation on green jobs assessment studies was organized jointly by the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the ILO.

Press release | 08 April 2009

On April 9, in Dhaka, a stakeholders’ consultation on Green Jobs Assessment Studies was organized jointly by Ministry of Labour and Employment and the ILO.

The Consultation was chaired by Md. Atharul Islam, Secretary Ministry of Labour and Employment. The objective was to present the main findings of the assessment of green jobs in the renewable energy, waste management and construction sectors being conducted by Waste Concern, an organization working to improve the environment; and second study on the assessment of green jobs in the agriculture sector conducted by an agriculture consultant. The main findings and summary of both the studies were presented at the consultation.

The participants included Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Environment, Workers’ and Employers organizations, selected civil society organizations working on green jobs and academia. Mr. Abdul Matin Master participated from National Coordination Committee on Workers’ Education. He emphasized on the trade unions’ rights to be protected in green jobs. He said that there is no unionization in the farming sector so, therefore, it is important to bring awareness amongst the farmers. There is too much salt in the water which affects cropping, and farmers should be aware of this. He stressed on protections of the rights of agriculture workers at the grassroot level.

Deputy Secretary Ministry of Labour was of the view that producing good agriculture products should be a priority, and for that an inter-ministerial task force should be formulated in collaboration with various ministries including Ministry of Livestock, Ministry of Forestry etc. for identification of sub sectors.

Mr. Maqsood Sinha from Waste Concerns responded and acknowledged the comments by trade unions for benefiting farmers. He supported Grameen Shakti’s comment for promoting solar energy and for the farmers it can produce free electricity for another 15 years. The urban waste is the main reason for affecting environment, and Waste Concern is working to convert it into soil and generates green jobs. By using proper and efficient stoves for cooking, bio gas can be conserved. Mr. Mati-ur-Rehman, agriculture consultant, said 30,000 bio gas plants are running in the country and if we calculate it can produce quite a lot green jobs.

In conclusion, the Secretary Ministry of Labour and Employment, highly appreciated the studies and thanked ILO for their support. He endorsed both the studies on behalf of the Ministry, and expressed the need to formulate a national policy and action plan on green jobs. He said at the grassroot level, awareness raising is important for promoting green jobs. He stressed on medical waste management to be identified as an important sector for green jobs.

For more information please contact:

Mr. T.I.M Nurunnabi Khan
Programme Officer
ILO Dhaka
Tel: + 02 8114705, 9112876
Email