PAGE Argentina and its local partners organised on 23 May a high-level discussion on “Sustainable Industrial Development and Transition to Green Economy”. This is the first of a series of events led by PAGE, which includes discussions, tripartite dialogues and training, as well as a presentation at the highest-level including representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Climate Change, the Ministry of Labour and the UNRCO.
23 May 2023
Looking at opportunities in the industrial sector in Argentina
“With Priscila Makari, Leonardo Di Pietro from the Ministry of Labour and international organisations, we share the initiatives that we are working on from the government to reconvert industry and the field of work with the support of PAGE. (…) As part of these advances, we present the guidelines for preparing sustainability reports in SMEs, a tool that will help make environmental and financial performance transparent and accountability in the private sector, according to the principles of Acuerdo De Escazú” said the Secretary of Climate Change Cecilia Nicolini.
The Secretary of Employment Leonardo Di Poetro presented the National Green Jobs Promotion Programme, highlighting incentives for enterprises and trade unions to promote green jobs and assure a just transition. This includes benefits such as tax exemptions and subsidies for capital investments and skills development, based on the green indicators developed for the labour market as well as greening related active labour-market policies.
The discussions delved into the opportunities and challenges of advancing towards a sustainable industrial model in the country.
Priscila Makari, undersecretary of Industry at the ministry of economy, shed light on the current implementation of courses to improve SMEs energy efficiency. The meeting discussed how SMEs in Argentina can cope with the additional demand to track and report their production processes.
Argentina, like many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, faces the challenge of implementing adaptation and mitigation strategies to face the climate crisis and seize opportunities for its economy in a context of restricted fiscal space.
The country presents growth potentials due to its abundant natural resources of lithium and green hydrogen production, among others.
Reducing its carbon footprint and meeting the 2050 carbon neutrality commitments requires technological innovation that can open the way to new markets and industrial processes for Argentina.
According to the ILO, it is estimated that there is a high potential for the generation of green jobs in Argentina and Latin America, exceeding 15 million direct and indirect jobs by 2030 for the region.
The meeting counted on the participation of the Secretary of Climate Change, Cecilia Nicolini; the Secretary of Employment, Leonardo Di Pietro; the Undersecretary of Industry, Priscila Makari; the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, Valentín González; and the senior economist of the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator of Argentina, Fulvia Farinelli. In addition, authorities from the Development Bank, sectoral chambers and unions were present.
Around 160 policymakers, employers representatives, Chambers, Labour Unions and also SMEs representatives attended the high-level event.
Argentina joined PAGE in 2018. PAGE brings together UNEP, UNDP, ILO, UNIDO and UNITAR to reframe economic policies around sustainability.
Source: PAGE Argentina, ILO news, ILO newsletter, CTA