The launch of the Fiji Green Jobs Assessment report is aligned to the Low Emission Development Strategy, which recommends the development of a detailed Fiji Green Study.
This was highlighted by the Deputy Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport George Tavo while delivering opening remarks at the launch of the Fiji Green Jobs Assessment held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva today.
Mr Tavo said the assessment considers initiatives with potential for green job creation, estimates existing green employment, assesses the potential for additional green jobs creation, identifies major employment changes as the Fijian economy greens, and recommends how green employment can grow while minimising other job losses.
“The Fijian government is demonstrating a strong resolve to take action and reduce its emissions and the Fiji Green Jobs assessments is a vital step to achieve this.”
“The path to achieve to net zero emission is not an easy one. It can only be achieved through partnership and collective effort from all stakeholders.”
Mr. Tavo acknowledged and thanked the United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Korea for their continuous support through financial assistance to Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).
The study primarily deals with formal salary and wage employment, covers mainly key LED sectors (energy, transport etc) and not employment in the economy overall. This is the first study that attempts to estimate the green employment generation potential in Fiji.
The ILO describes green jobs as decent jobs that produce services or makes production processes more energy and resource efficient and less polluting.
British High Commission’s Department of International Development Regional representative for the Pacific Mr. Jean-Paul Penrose commended the Fijian government for their efforts in setting out an ambitious agenda and its response to climate change and alignment to the growth of the economy.
Mr Penrose also shared the United Kingdom’s contribution towards the Green Finance Strategy that aims to look at how the financial sector could better integrate climate sustainability dimensions and how to unlock finance to deliver green growth particularly around the renewable energy sector.