: 400 million new green and digital sector jobs, will pave way to ‘rebalance societies’ #IndiaNEWS #International A year after the UN launched an initiative to accelerate green and digital job creation,

400 million new green and digital sector jobs, will pave way to ‘rebalance societies’ #IndiaNEWS #International
A year after the UN launched an initiative to accelerate green and digital job creation, and expand social protection, the Secretary-General on Friday urged world leaders to “put people first??? by making massive investments in their future wellbeing.

According to António Guterres, the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions aims to rebalance societies by putting decent jobs and social protection at the centre of sustainable development.
“The path of inaction leads to economic collapse and climate catastrophe, widening inequalities and escalating social unrest???, which could leave “billions trapped in vicious circles of poverty and destitution???, he warned a High-Level meeting during the 77th General Assembly in New York.

© ADB
Female construction workers help to build the foundation for a wind farm in Thailand.

Countries taking the lead
Mr. Guterres commended the actions of countries such as Togo, which deployed innovative digital solutions to expand social protection to hard-to-reach populations, and South Africa, which recently launched a Just Energy Transition partnership.
“It is imperative that we provide the support needed – at speed and at scale – to keep the momentum and ambition of these and similar initiatives alive???, he underscored.
He said the present economic system is unfair, boosting inequalities and pushing more people into poverty, and that’s why it requires a deep structural reform.
“We are working hard to achieve that – but change won’t happen overnight. In the interim, the Global Accelerator is a critical tool to help provide immediate support to people in need and advance action towards transformative change for all???, he said.
The initiative aims to create 400 million new decent jobs—especially in the green, care and digital economies— and extend social protection to the over four billion people currently without coverage.
It is also meant to be a tool to help the world manage the massive transformations in areas such as digital, climate, or demographic change, that will fundamentally change societies in the coming decades.

© ADB
A woman installs a solar panel on a roof in Bhutan.

Youth at the centre
Meanwhile, The UN’s Special Envoy for Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, reminded world leaders that young people must be at the centre of all strategies and actions regarding jobs and social protection.
“The total number of unemployed youths worldwide is estimated to reach 73 million in 2022, 6 million above pre pandemic levels in 2019, young women are the hardest hit???, she underscored, adding that young people also experience systemic legal and financial barriers to benefitting from social protection policies and programmes.