The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to raise awareness on the interdependence between jobs and nature.
The MOU is intended to formalize the already ongoing collaboration between the two organizations to promote and support, among other things, Green Works, the creation of decent jobs through investments in reforestation, soil and water conservation, environmental rehabilitation and climate change adaptation.
It also underlines the importance of “Nature-based Solutions” (NbS), which use nature to address key societal challenges like increasing agricultural productivity and incomes through the use of more sustainable agro-forestry practices or the promotion of urban greening to reduce temperatures in cities.
“Without a healthy planet, there can be no productive economies or decent work.”
Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General, said: “As many as 1.2 billion jobs rely directly on ecosystems and the services they provide be it through the provision of food and water, the regulation of the climate system or the control of disease vectors. At the same time, increasingly important activities such as ecosystem restoration have the potential to create many jobs.