Bangladesh’s climate action pledges outlined in the third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement have set a global precedent by embedding just transition principles at the heart of the country’s national climate strategy.
Submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 30 September, Bangladesh’s climate strategy for the first time incorporates just transition to ensure that the shift to environmentally sustainable and low-carbon economies is job-rich, gender-responsive and inclusive, leaving no one behind.
This approach emphasises maximising the social and economic opportunities of climate and environmental action, such as green jobs, while minimising and carefully managing any arising challenges through effective social dialogue and stakeholder engagement.
“This is a historic, bold step by Bangladesh, making it the first country in Asia to include a dedicated ‘Just Transition’ chapter in its climate pledge. This underscores the Government’s commitment to advancing social justice and climate action hand in hand,” said Max Tunon, the Country Director Designate of the ILO Office in Bangladesh.
“With workers and employers participating in the development of the NDC 3.0, they have clearly made the connection between climate ambition on the one hand, and jobs, skills, enterprise resilience and worker protections on the other,” said Tunon.
“The result is a stronger and more balanced NDC that reflects not only environmental ambition, but also the realities of enterprises striving for sustainability, and the needs of people, particularly workers, most affected by climate change,” he added.
National Just Transition Framework
Bangladesh’s NDC 3.0 is aligned with the ILO’s Guidelines for a Just Transition towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All (2015). The country commits to developing a national just transition framework and sectoral roadmaps in priority areas such as energy, industry, transport, agriculture, and waste management.
This builds on the momentum of the Just Transition Academy held in May 2025.
Anchored in principles that place people and decent work at the centre, Bangladesh’s NDC 3.0 calls for:
- Social dialogue and participation: institutionalising tripartite social dialogue mechanisms and community engagement to ensure that workers and employers have a voice.
- Rights and protection: upholding occupational safety and health, labour rights, and safeguards against job losses or displacement.
- Skills development and reskilling: preparing workers from carbon-intensive sectors — such as energy, manufacturing, and transport — for opportunities in renewable energy, green industries, sustainable transport, and waste management.
- Enterprise support: expanding finance, incentives, and market access for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially the informal ones, to innovate and green their operations.
- Social protection: extending unemployment benefits, income support, and shock-responsive systems to protect vulnerable workers and households.
- Equity and inclusion: ensuring women, youth, informal workers, climate migrants, and persons with disabilities benefit from the transition.
- Policy coherence: establishing a national just transition policy framework to align climate, labour, and social protection agendas.
The ILO stands ready to support the Government of Bangladesh in developing the NDC’s just transition implementation plan with full inputs from workers and employers.
The ILO also backs the establishment of a tripartite task force on just transition, to monitor progress, steer the development of the national policy framework, and ensure that NDC 3.0 truly delivers for both people and the planet.