Everyone deserves the opportunity for decent work.
That’s the philosophy underpinning the publication of the report, Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions 2022, by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The report is a joint contribution between ILO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
The report explains that decent work delivers:
- a fair income
- security in the workplace
- social protection for families
- better prospects for personal development and social integration
- freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives
- equality of opportunity and treatment for all people.
The idea that decent work can be tied to nature-based solutions is a compelling one.
Our Director, Carl Obst, together with Monica Castillo of ILO, co-authored two chapters of the report describing conceptual and measurement frameworks that can make this connection.
Carl explains that the measurement and analysis of employment and the link to the environment is a very undeveloped area but one with great importance to billions of people. He says:
“To date, work has generally been considered a social issue, or an issue that links economic policy to employment outcomes, rather than something that connects to natural capital.
This report takes an important first step in understanding how work and decent work outcomes can be connected to investments in ecosystems. Once this step is taken, the conversation can shift into applying the concepts of multiple capitals, where the four capitals – nature, human, social and produced – overlap, intertwine and support each other to create healthy, meaningful lives.”
The report was launched at COP15 in Montreal and can be downloaded here.