ILO partner to advance youth employment through green jobs in green works

A partnership between the International Labour Organization and the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment Samoa has officially commenced work on exploring youth employment opportunities within the climate change and environment sector.

News | 17 August 2015
An agreement was signed in August 2015 between the Chief Executive Officer of MNRE, Suluimalo Amataga Penaia and the ILOs National Project Coordinator Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson.

The partnership comes under the Samoa National Action Plan on Youth Employment Project, funded by the Swedish Government through the ILO in the Pacific and jointly implemented with the Government of Samoa. "This is an exciting partnership for SNAP on YE as it is the first time we are demonstrating how young people can be engaged in an economically meaningful way on climate change. MNRE was the natural partner for this initiative as they are the lead Ministry on environmental and climate change in Samoa," said Lagipoiva.

As climate financing increases for Samoa, so too are the chances for young people to gain from projects implementation. Samoa has received significant financing for climate projects in the last ten years from a sources which include the Global Environment Facility (GEF), World Bank, ADB, Adaptation Fund and stand to receive more funding support from the Least Developed Country Fund, Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund. "We see green jobs through green works as creating clear linkages between climate change adaptation poverty reduction and employment creation,” says Lagipoiva.

ILO will work with MNRE to co-host workshops for policy-makers on green jobs and green works , followed by piloting youth engagement with the work of the Disaster Management Office.

Green works is a concept that falls under ILOs Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) that refers to infrastructure and related work that have direct environmental benefits or in response to a specific environmental context including changes in climate and extreme weather events.

Green works aims to restore and protect the productive capacity of lands, to build resilient infrastructure capable of adapting to climate change and natural disasters and
to create livelihood and income security for the most vulnerable. The development of appropriate climate resilient infrastructure can also contribute to environmental preservation and land conservation and productivity, as well as mitigating the impacts of future disasters –disaster risk reduction - and providing jobs to the communities that need them the most. Improving rural infrastructure, the development of irrigation schemes, flood prevention measures, soil stabilization, reforestation works, rural transport maintenance and improved land tenure may enhance agricultural productivity and contribute to the world’s food supply and local energy production.

In addition to green works, ILO also has a specific programme on green jobs, which is central to sustainable development and respond to the global challenges of environmental protection, economic development and social inclusion. According to Lagipoiva, by engaging governments, workers and employers as active agents of change, the ILO promotes the greening of enterprises, workplace practices and the labour market as a whole. These efforts create decent employment opportunities for youth and enhances resource efficiency and build low-carbon sustainable societies.