This roundtable discussion will take the dialogue on the Just Transition beyond training for jobs into holistic life-skills needed by communities and society at large for a just and peaceful planet. In addition to discussing strategies to ensure the most marginalized are included in plans for a just transition to a more green economy, it will foster conversation on what is needed to achieve SDG target 4.7, which speaks to the larger role of education in a peaceful and prosperous planet.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), a just transition means “greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned, creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind.” Unfortunately, the most marginalized groups, including women and youth, are losing the battle to acquire green skills and the green jobs of the future - effectively being left out of this just transition.
The labor statistics in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa show that more women are joining the informal employment sector. In South Asia, 95% of women in the labor force are in informal employment, and in sub-Saharan Africa the percentage is 89%. These large populations joining the informal sector are alarming because much of the activities performed could be unpaid and exploitative. Further, women are disadvantaged in the job market due to the digital divide. The digitization of economies is expanding, but the skilling of women in STEM and digital literacy is limited. A UNICEF literature review sheds light on the lack of digital access and usage, specifically for women and girls, due to social norms, low levels of infrastructure, and costs. The report shows that 50% of the world’s women are offline and that in South Asia, women are 23% less likely than men to own a mobile phone. This created a serious disadvantage for women in the workforce, with over 90% of jobs worldwide having a digital component.
Beyond workforce implications, it has been acknowledged that green jobs are just one piece of a much larger puzzle. This larger priority should be our collective commitment towards a planet that can sustain peace and prosperity for all. To foster this commitment, global citizenship education provides pathways needed to mobilize individuals of all backgrounds to take care of our planet and all living beings.
Objectives:
The roundtable discussion will explore the potential for broadening the scope of skills to include transversal skills for global leadership through Global Citizenship Education. Global Citizenship Education and civil society organizations have argued that the focus of the needs of the labor market is too narrow. The challenges of the climate crisis, the green and digital transitions, the changing political landscape in many parts of the world and the promotion of democracy, recovery from the pandemic, and changes in the labor market are sizable.
We believe that skills should be understood in a more holistic way to encompass skills that not only provide for professional development, but also the transversal and life skills (including SEL) required to strengthen sustainability, democracy, social inclusion, and human rights echoed so strongly in SDG 4.7:
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
Results:
The discussion with different actors will provide an opportunity to explore how a lifelong and life-wide learning approach that looks beyond the labor market can help learners to become active participants in society and build competencies for a more sustainable world.
Panelists will take a closer look at the future green jobs and the current skill gaps that need to be filled. More specifically, it will take UNESCO’s Greening Education Partnership and find pathways to adult/lifelong learning through professional upskilling, workforce competencies and the transformational skills that will be needed in the green jobs of the future. The panel will look at adult demographic dividend to think about ways in which every job in the formal or non-formal sphere can be planet savvy.
Some of the questions the panel will deep dive into include:
What are the informal and non-formal education pathways towards green skilling?
What are these new green jobs in the transforming industries?
How do we educate our youth on the greening of every jobs?
How do we know who gets left out and why? Focusing on women, youth and the marginalized.
How do we make the Just Transition not merely skills towards green jobs? What are some other dimensions - in particular global citizenship education - that will ensure harmony and caring for fellow human beings?
Organizing Partners:
The panel is organized by Mission 4.7, a multipartner initiative that builds on and draws upon UNESCO’s global leadership on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED), as mandated by its Member States and the UN General Assembly, respectively, as well as on its responsibility for the monitoring of SDG Target 4.7. Mission 4.7 ensures alignment with UNESCO’s global frameworks and conceptualizations and complements existing programs already underway in this context.
This round table discussion is organized on the sidelines of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2023. For 2023, HLPF focuses on “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels ”. The roundtable will have a specific call to action for the marginalized and the under-privileged. This year marks the mid-point of the SDGs, and we see huge gaps in the progress for many indicators, the roundtable will also deliberate on the transformations needed for education to become a tool to fast track this progress. The round table will focus on the implementation strategies on SDG 4.7 targeting, specifically Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCED). It will be a launching pad for ideas for the NYC Climate Week and the SDG Summit in the Fall.