VARIOUS REGIONS – The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) participates in regional consultations for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, contributing to the ongoing development of the National Just Transition Framework.
Held from 18-26 September 2025 in Clark, Cebu, and Davao, the regional consultations bring together regional participants from labor organizations, private sectors, local people’s organizations, and regional government agencies to surface localized just transition efforts and issues arising from the Philippines’ ongoing implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
The ILS’s Just Transition Team, composed of Executive Director Jeanette T. Damo, Acting Chief Labor and Employment Officer (LEO) Bernard Paul M. Mangulabnan, Senior LEOs Joe Mari S. Francisco and Loren Art S. Cayabyab, shared the role of DOLE in the country’s Just Transition and the updated National Green Jobs Human Resource Development (NGJ HRD) Plan 2020-2030.
“Just Transition is built through social dialogue. This is not simply a government initiative – frontline voices matter: fisherfolk, farmers, energy workers, women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples. The goal is not just to manage economic transformation but to co-create it with those most affected”, ILS Executive Director Damo emphasized in her video message to the regional consultation participants.
During the regional consultations, the ILS Just Transition Team shared that the NGJ HRD Plan provides the country’s blueprint for just transition of the workforce. The Plan enables decent work transition that produces green jobs while guaranteeing social protection to people affected by the transition. They also served as facilitators during the breakout groups and assisted participants to surface their concerns and needs to enable a people-centric just transition.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), spearheads the Regional Consultation for the development of National Just Transition Framework. These activity serves as an input to the upcoming 02 October 2025 National Just Transition Framework Multistakeholder Consultations.
The National Just Transition Framework is part of the climate instruments the Philippine government is developing towards building a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy. DOLE, represented by ILS, serves as Co-Chair of the Just Transition Technical Working Group of the Interagency Steering Committee on Climate Change led by DENR.
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