Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) Side Event on Green Jobs for Circularity

Asia and the Pacific region is home to more than 600 million youth. Zomming down to one of the region's high-impact setors, the region's textile industry accounts for 55% of the global textiles and clothing exports, and employs around 60 million workers, 80% of whom are women. As such, the region and its high-impact sectors have tremendous opportunities to be more circular and sustainable through green skills building and green jobs creation to shift the value chain and promote sustainable consumption and production.  

This side events brings together a diverse panel of experts from the government, private sector and civil society groups to draw attention to green jobs as one of the essential enablers for circular economy and for sustainable consumption and production. Its key guiding questions include:

1. What are the enabling policies to accelerate the transition towards an inclusive circular economy?
2. What are some of the existing skills gaps in scaling circularity in high-impact sectors? What is required to over come this gap?
3. What do you think are the priority areas where acceleration of green jobs is needed to achieve circularity?

With these questions, the side event aims to achieve, as expected outcomes: 

• Increased understanding on the importance to invest in green skills and policies to drive for an inclusive circular economy in high-impact sectors;
• Suggested recommendations and action points to promote creation of green jobs for youth at the local and national levels;
• Identification of existing barriers and possible solutions through sharing of best practices, knowledge and tools available.