Representatives of governments, workers and employers from ten countries met in Johannesburg to explore how national climate commitments can advance decent work and social justice through a just transition.
The international workshop on "Addressing just transition in nationally determined contributions (NDCs): Learning, leading and looking ahead" was organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) with support from German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). NDCs outline how each country will contribute to global climate goals through emission reductions and adaptation measures.
Over two days (1st and 2nd October 2025) delegations from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, the Philippines and South Africa shared experiences and practical strategies to embed just transition principles into the next generation of national climate plans - NDC 3.0 - under the Paris Agreement.
The discussions underscored that climate ambition and social justice are not competing priorities, and that progress on climate goals depends on coherent policies for decent jobs, skills, social protection, and sustainable enterprise development. The workshop brought together ministries of labour and those responsible for NDCs (such as ministries of environment or energy), along with workers and employers, highlighting the importance of social dialogue and policy coherence.
Aligning climate ambition with decent work
Opening the workshop, Alexio Musindo, Director of the ILO Pretoria Office, said
a just transition must not only be about fair outcomes, but also about fair processes.
South Africa's own experience - presented by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) - illustrated how inclusive governance and social dialogue can anchor procedural justice and strengthen public trust.
Participants agreed that integrating employment, social protection and skills development into NDCs creates opportunities rather than vulnerabilities.
Cambodia presented its participatory NDC 3.0 process, which engaged over 650 stakeholders and targets a 55 per cent emissions reduction by 2035. Worker and employer representatives from South Africa and Azerbaijan shared how social dialogue helps anticipate labour-market shifts and shape reskilling and income-support measures.
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Peer learning and South-South cooperation
Country exchanges demonstrated growing momentum to translate just transition principles into action.
Jamaica highlighted its Social Partnership Agreement as a driver of green jobs. Nigeria presented its Just Energy Transition and Implementation Guidelines, linking gender equality and youth employment to net-zero objectives. The Philippines outlined how its Green Jobs Act promotes enterprise incentives and engagement of social partners in climate policy.
While strong political will was a common feature, participants acknowledged persistent challenges, such as limited financing, data gaps, and the need to include informal-economy workers. Delegates underscored the importance of peer-to-peer learning and commended ILO's technical support to address these barriers.
From planning to implementation
Discussions focused on moving from dialogue to delivery. The NDC Partnership underscored the importance of inter-ministerial coordination and integrating climate, labour, and finance policies throughout the NDC implementation cycle. The ILO presented policy entry points based on its Guidelines for a Just Transition towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All, issued ten years ago this month.
Dedicated sessions explored how social protection systems can buffer workers and communities from climate impacts and how diverse enterprises, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) can become an engine of just transition through access to green finance, enabling business environment, digital tools and skills training, unleashing more and better jobs.
An expert panel featuring representatives from Brazil, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) looked ahead to COP 30 in Belém, emphasizing that social justice and social dialogue must remain central to global climate negotiations.
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Commitments and the way forward
Delegations concluded the workshop by outlining concrete next steps, including:
- Enhancing national tripartite committees for social dialogue on just transition;
- Integrating just transition dimensions and indicators into NDC monitoring frameworks;
- Scaling-up public-awareness and capacity-development initiatives.
Brazil called for a Global Fund for Just Transition and Climate Justice, while South Africa reaffirmed its goal of "turning plans into jobs" through the Presidential Climate Commission. Mexico highlighted the importance of helping social partners better understand the necessity and implications of a just transition in garnering public support and participation.
Ivory Coast stressed on the importance of supporting and coordinating just transition and formalization strategies, as stated in the recently adopted ILC Resolution on addressing informality and promoting the transition to formality for decent work. Morocco announced the successful submission, on the same day, of its updated NDC targets, which link climate mitigation and adaptation (53% GHG reduction and 80 sectoral adaptation objectives by 2035) with equity, inclusion, and decent work through a dedicated chapter on just transition.
The event closed with a shared commitment to sustain cooperation and build on the global "Call to Action: fostering social dialogue for a just transition to a resilient low-carbon economy", launched in Hamburg in 2024.
With continued ILO support and strengthened South-South collaboration, participants pledged to turn the lessons of Johannesburg into concrete national policies that create decent jobs, resilient enterprises and a sustainable future for all.
