Bishkek, Nov.19, 2024. /Kabar/. The topic of equitable transition to an ecological economy with a focus on labor, employment, migration and social protection was considered at the national pavilion of Kyrgyzstan at the UN Framework Conference on Climate Change in Azerbaijan’s Baku.
The event was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Edil Baisalov, representatives of the regional offices of the International Labor Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNDP and UNHCR representative, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Labor, Migration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Labor, Social Development and Migration of Kyrgyzstan.
First Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Security and Migration Mukhtarbek Baimurzaev voiced Kyrgyzstan's vision on this issue.
He noted that a fair transition should be socially responsible, covering the protection of the interests of workers and vulnerable segments of the population. This requires:
- retraining of personnel to adapt to new technologies;
- creation of jobs in the green economy;
- support for vulnerable populations, including youth, women and the elderly;
- development of green jobs standards for enterprises.
The need for active work on retraining programs, job opportunities in green industries and support for social initiatives such as the Social Contract program and youth internship projects was also mentioned.
In addition, representative of the Ministry of Labor Eliza Turgunalieva stressed that Kyrgyzstan is actively promoting global initiatives on sustainable mountain development and addressing climate change-induced migration.
“The Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers conducted a large-scale study covering 2,000 households in three vulnerable regions and found that many families are already losing income due to climate change. Together with IOM, we are implementing adaptation projects such as the Green Reconstruction of Pilot Households and conducting trainings for migrants.
We call on the global community to work together to address these challenges, including investing in economic diversification, job creation and supporting sustainable migration routes to ensure a just and sustainable transition for mountain communities,” she said.