COP31: Up-Skill to De-Carbonize — Unlocking the Employment Potential of the Low-Carbon Economy

The transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon economy could create nearly 375 million additional jobs over the next decade, while reshaping work for hundreds of millions more. This transformation presents a major opportunity to create quality employment, strengthen livelihoods, accelerate climate action and build more resilient economies that are less affected by geopolitical crises and external shocks.

But these benefits will not happen automatically. As economies respond to climate change, technological innovation, changing trade patterns and the rapid transformation of industries, millions of companies will require workers with new skills, while millions of workers will need opportunities to reskill, upskill and transition into emerging occupations. Investing in education, skills development, labor-market intelligence, workforce transition and social protection can make the transition faster, more inclusive and more durable.  

The Global Initiative on Jobs and Skills for the New Economy that was launched at COP30 by international partners including World Resources Institute, Systemiq, GIZ and the NDC Partnership, and with support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) via the German International Climate Initiative (IKI) and Ares Foundation, brings together governments, businesses and civil society to put people at the center of climate and economic transitions. Building on the COP31 Presidency’s strategic priorities, such as the Climate Implementation Bridge and the electrification target, the initiative is turning political ambition into practical action — anchored in data, dialogue and delivery.

The high-level session “Up-Skill to De-Carbonize: Unlocking the Employment Potential of the Low-Carbon Economy” brings together COP-Presidencies, leaders from government, businesses, international organizations and investors to turn global ambition on jobs and skills into targeted national action.  

The program will feature two high-level panel discussions:

• Turning Global Ambition into Country Action: Showcasing how countries are integrating jobs and skills into climate, economic and development strategies, and identifying common priorities and challenges for implementation.
• Scaling Skills Through Finance, Institutions and Partnerships: Exploring how public and private finance, stronger institutions, technology and partnerships can accelerate workforce transformation and scale solutions across countries and sectors.