BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 20. As
part of COP29 in Baku, Trend News Agency proudly presents COP for
Hope, a special project offering an unparalleled platform to hear
from world leaders and trailblazers in politics, economics,
science, and ecology, all united by a shared commitment to
addressing today’s pressing climate challenges.
Today, we are honored to speak with
Ramesh Subramaniam, Director
General and Group Chief Sectors Group at
the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
In an exclusive interview with Trend on the sidelines of COP29,
Subramaniam said he is delighted that COP is now placing explicit
focus on green skills and green jobs.
“We need policies and investments that steer skills development
for economic expansion that comes with quality jobs in the green
sectors. Given the expected growth in the number of green jobs, the
deliberations at COP can give the much-needed push to increase
investments in green skills that matter for a clean and just
transition and help young people to access new and emerging area
economy jobs,” he said.
Education’s role in climate action
The director general noted that the Human Development Day is a
first of its kind and he is hopeful that it will trigger new
commitments to embed climate change knowledge and skills in
education systems.
“We know that the most vulnerable people in the Asia and the
Pacific region are the most affected by adverse climate events,
hence investing in climate resilience for young people but also in
communities is critical to combat the adverse effects of climate
change,” said Subramaniam.
Promoting climate-resilient and low-carbon
schools
The director general pointed out that ADB has already done
considerable work in this area of disaster risk resilient
infrastructure for schools and other facilities.
“We would like to enhance our work in terms of embedding climate
change in curriculum, teacher training and learning competencies in
order to build the knowledge and skills necessary to combat climate
change. Our aspiration is also that we are able to influence future
NDCs in incorporating education and skills as levers for climate
action. As a climate bank, we will be increasing investments for
climate adaptation and mitigation across all sectors and this
includes the human and social development sector,” he said,
Subramaniam went on to add that education and training are very
important levers to build the knowledge and capacities for
effective climate action.
“We will working at the intersection of various sectors: for
instance how to strengthen the training of frontline health
workforce for climate resilience? How do we invest in the training
of the workforce for eMobility and clean and renewable energy
occupations? How to we invest in skills for high-tech and
climate-resilient infrastructure that not only increased
agriculture productivity but also brings higher quality jobs in
agriculture to rural youth. In short we will be working across,
schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training
institutions and universities to promote climate change adaptation
and mitigation,” he said.
Joint Statement and Baku Guiding Principles on Human
Development for Climate Resilience
The director general noted that the Joint Statement and the Baku
Guiding Principles on Human Development for Climate Resilience are
excellent take-off points for the next level of work in increasing
investments in education and skills development for enabling
climate resilience among children, youth and workforce.
“The Joint Statement and the Baku Guiding Principles denote the
shared commitment and aspiration of international agencies and
partners to work together and to embrace new solutions to bring
greater development impact. The Baku Guiding Principles are aligned
with the calls to action we have outlined in the ADB’s publication
‘Climate Change and Education Playbook: Investing in Education and
Skills for Climate Resilience in Asia and the Pacific’. We need to
bring solid action on the ground in our region which will tip the
balance in pro-climate behavior, actions and investments,” Ramesh
Subramaniam concluded.
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