Labour and Sustainable Development ministers and senior officials from 28 Organisation of American States (OAS) countries gathered to bridge the gap between labour and environmental sustainability agendas.

The two-day exchange held in Nassau, Bahamas, focused on practical, scalable strategies and roadmaps to ensure a Just Transition across the Americas.

Labour and environmental authorities from 28 nations in the Americas met on February 26 and 27 to synchronise hemispheric efforts in a workshop entitled Just Transition, green and blue jobs in the Americas: Contributions from the world of work to environmentally sustainable economies and societies.

The event, organised by the OAS’s Inter-American Network for Labour Administration (RIAL), in collaboration with the ministries of labor and economic affairs of The Bahamas, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) involved knowledge exchange, intensive dialogue, and training for authorities in the design of practical, scalable strategies to:

• Bridge their labour and environmental agendas,
• Respond to climate change with social protection, labour inclusion, occupational safety and health policies, and
• Boost reskilling and human capital development to prepare workforces for evolving “green and blue” jobs and economies.

A historic shift in regional policy

Ministries of labour in the Americas have agreed, in previous exchanges, to approach climate change as a fundamental challenge for the world of work. Its impact on people’s health and livelihoods calls for a multidimensional response—one that considers both the risks to occupational safety, productivity, and enterprises, as well as the opportunities it presents for new occupations, emerging industries, and evolving productive sectors.

Recent data suggests that while the transition to a net-zero economy could create up to 22 million jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2030, these gains are not guaranteed. Unlocking this potential requires policy coherence and concerted action among stakeholders, especially labour and environmental authorities. The Organisation of American States is uniquely positioned to foster this intersectoral dialogue and advance collaborative solutions and regional policy recommendations through its ministerial processes and cooperation networks such as the Inter-American Network for Labour Administration, RIAL”, said Jesús Schucry Giacoman, head of OAS’s department of human development, education and employment.

The green economy, and the jobs it drives and creates, are generally defined by the UN Environment Programme and the ILO as “low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.” The blue economy and jobs, the marine and coastal equivalents to green economies and jobs, involve the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth.

Caribbean countries leading on climate change resilience

The workshop focused on equipping ministries of labour and sustainable development with the tools to weave the labour dimension into national and regional climate strategies. By prioritising decent work in emerging sustainable sectors, the dialogue formulated concrete public policy recommendations to guide Just Transition processes throughout the Americas.

However, while the entire region is shifting, Caribbean nations are leading, managing the unique intensity of climate challenges while pioneering new economic opportunities. This hemispheric dialogue was enriched by the active participation of leaders from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.