PANAMA CITY – The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), the policy research and advocacy arm of the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), participated in the Third Dialogue under the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP). The event was held from 22 to 23 May 2025 at the Megapolis Convention Center, Panama City, Panama. The global dialogue centered on the approaches to enhancing adaptation and climate resilience in the context of transition.
Senior Labor and Employment Officer Joe Mari S. Francisco shared the role of DOLE in providing social protection, reskilling, and upskilling of workers. He highlighted the department’s key programs such as Adjustment Measurement Program, Sustainable Livelihood Program, and Short-term Emergency Employment Program which provide social protection, skills training, and employment facilitation to help workers and enterprises adapt to climate changes.
Mr. Francisco also shared policy developments, including the updated National Green Jobs Human Resources and Development Plan 2020-2030, which anticipates the creation and transformation of jobs as the country shifts to low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.
Mr. Francisco further echoed the Philippine call for a strengthened Means of Implementation (MOI) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), emphasizing that just transition issues are becomes a lived realities for vulnerable communities in the Global South.
Delegates from other participating countries such as Panama, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the United Kingdom welcomed the Philippines’ contributions and shared their own national experiences and strategies.
The UAE JTWP Dialogue is part of the mandated events in international climate change negotiations on just transition that serves as a platform for governments, civil society, labor organizations, and other stakeholders to share experiences, best practices, and challenges in implementing just transition strategies.
A synthesis report of the Dialogue will be prepared by the UN Climate Change Secretariat for presentation to the participants of the upcoming 62nd Session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) to be held in Bonn, Germany from 16 to 26 June 2025.
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