Experiences from the Just Energy Transition Partnerships show how important it is to create decent jobs, including for workers who lose employment prospects due to the phase-out of fossil fuel extraction. The overarching question is: How can we achieve climate-related goals (mitigation and adaptation) and turn them into an opportunity rather than a cost factor for society? A key answer lies in promoting the development of green skills and qualifications for green jobs. Currently, not even half of all NDCs include training strategies that prepare people for the green economy of the future. It is therefore essential to develop education and vocational training programs and to discuss policy reforms that facilitate investment in green jobs and skills development. Without trained professionals, the world could face a shortage of six million skilled workers in the renewable energy sector alone by 2030, including engineers, skilled tradespeople and teachers. This would put the 1.5-degree climate target at risk of slipping out of reach. This is where the Global Initiative on Jobs & Skills for the New Economy, launched by GIZ and kicked off during COP30 in Belém, comes in. 

The initiative focuses on the skills transformation required due to technological and demographic change, geopolitics, and climate change. The session will highlight key challenges and discuss approaches that can deliver a triple dividend: more resilient economies, stronger social cohesion, and faster progress toward climate goals.