Georgetown: A three days “Green Jobs” workshop commences today in collaboration with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour Human Services and Social Security.
The event was held at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street.
Attending the workshop was Minister of Labour Dr. Nanda Gopaul, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Robert Persaud, Minister of Human Services Jennifer Webster, Head of the Climate Change Unit Shyam Nokta, ILO specialist Kelvin Sergeant, President of Federation of Independent Trade Union Congress Carvil Duncan, Consultative Association of Guyanese Industry Samueal Goolsarran amongst special invitees.
The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in recent years and is based largely on agriculture and extractive industries. The economy is heavily dependent upon the export of six commodities – sugar, gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber, and rice – which represent nearly 60% of the country's GDP and are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in commodity prices.
Under the theme “Developing Policies and programmes to promote the Green Economy and Green Jobs in Guyana,”Minister Robert Persaud who gave the feature address said the overall objective of the workshop is to increase trainees’ understanding of how the creation of green jobs can play a crucial role in protecting the environment while supporting the country's economy. Special emphasis will be given to the green jobs policy cycle and its implementation in specific sectors of the economy, with particular attention to waste management, water pollution, deforestation, biodiversity, energy supply alternatives and the greening of enterprises. Participants will finally increase their skills in promoting and shaping green jobs strategies at national and local level.
Minister of Labour Dr. Nanda Gopaul said the move towards a green economy has been gaining momentum in parallel with the international debate and negotiations on climate change. The debate has brought out the need to take a deeper look at the notion of green jobs and its link with economic, social and environmental development goals. The potential for green jobs exists in countries at all level of economic development, since green jobs span a wide array of skills, educational backgrounds and occupational profiles. They contribute to reducing the environmental impact of enterprises and economic sectors to levels which are sustainable.
This training course that is offered is organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in response to the capacity building needs identified by the Ministry of Labour, Human services and social security and is also one of the programme of activities under the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) of Guyana. The field of green jobs is an essential pillar of the transition to a green economy and is critical in the Low Carbon Development Strategy of Guyana.
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