Just transition, but how?

At the High-Level Political Forum in New York in July, the main UN platform on sustainable development, Germany, Chile and the International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted a side event on ‘Just transition, but how?.

Jorge Iglesias of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the countries coal phase-out plan. Coal-fired power plants will be completely phased out by the year 2040, with eight of the 28 coal plants in the country being retired in the next five years. Philipp Steinberg, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Germany, shared lessons learned from the German Commission on Growth, Structural Change and Employment (“Kohlekommission”) on coal phase-out. Steinberg noted five success factors of the Commission: clear political guidance; a well-defined mandate; high-level political support; a variety of stakeholders involved in the process; and a targeted and well-informed working atmosphere. Jan Philipp Paprotny from the German Federation of Unions provided workers’ perspective on such transitions.

The High-Level Political Forum is the main UN platform on sustainable development and holds a central role in the follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level.