The delegation of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, led by Deputy Chairman of the FTURK, Nurlan Uteshev, is participating in the seminar “Trade Union Actions on Climate Change and Just Transition in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.”
The seminar, held on May 3-5 in Baku, is organized by the International Labour Organization’s Bureau for Workers’ Activities and has gathered participants from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The theme of the event involves discussing the issues related to the consequences of climate change on the planet. According to experts’ estimates, due to rising temperatures and heat stress, 72 million full-time jobs will be lost worldwide by 2030.
More than 180 countries have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, under which states develop national projects aimed at responding to climate change.
The transition to a “green economy” entails a gradual phasing out of hydrocarbon use. In this regard, trade unions have developed ideas for a just transition, which involve actions to ensure employment opportunities during the inevitable transformations in various sectors of the economy, such as the oil industry, coal industry, energy sector, and agriculture.
Seminar participants have the opportunity to learn about the measures being taken in different countries for a smooth transition of the economy towards new directions. The main tasks of the trade union in the near future will be the employment of displaced workers, retraining, acquiring new professions, and providing social security for residents of mono-industrial cities where industries unrelated to hydrocarbon use are concentrated.
Representatives of the ILO, Sergejus Glovackas and Lena Olsen, are familiarizing participants with the developed proposals and the experience of trade unions in foreign countries regarding actions for ensuring a just transition. They are sharing the experiences of trade unions from abroad.