Bangladesh has set a global precedent by embedding just transition principles at the core of its climate strategy in the third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement. Submitted to the UNFCCC on 30 September, the NDC 3.0 marks the first time the country has explicitly integrated just transition to ensure that the shift to low-carbon, environmentally sustainable economies is inclusive, gender-responsive, and job-rich, leaving no one behind. The strategy focuses on maximizing social and economic opportunities, such as green jobs, while carefully managing challenges through social dialogue and stakeholder engagement.
For the first time, Bangladesh invited workers’ and employers’ organizations to participate in shaping its climate action plans, creating a strong link between climate ambition, job creation, skills development, enterprise resilience, and worker protections. According to Max Tunon, Country Director Designate of the ILO Office in Bangladesh, this inclusive approach has produced a balanced NDC that reflects both environmental goals and the realities faced by enterprises and workers most affected by climate change.
Aligned with the ILO’s Guidelines for a Just Transition (2015), Bangladesh commits to developing a national just transition framework and sectoral roadmaps across priority areas such as energy, industry, transport, agriculture, and waste management. Anchored in people-centered principles, the NDC 3.0 emphasizes social dialogue, labor rights and protections, skills development and reskilling for workers in carbon-intensive sectors, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to green their operations. It also calls for extending social protection measures, ensuring equity and inclusion for women, youth, informal workers, climate migrants, and persons with disabilities, and establishing coherent national policies that integrate climate, labor, and social protection agendas.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) will support the Government of Bangladesh in developing the NDC’s just transition implementation plan, ensuring full participation from workers and employers. The ILO is also backing the creation of a tripartite task force to monitor progress, guide the national policy framework, and ensure that the NDC 3.0 delivers tangible benefits for both people and the environment.
