Uruguay: Implementing Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all

ILO-Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) partnership contributes to promoting the cross-cutting character of environmental sustainability. Sida support the implementation of the “Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all” and the ILO Green Initiative through two objectives in Uruguay: to assist the country in creating employment, ensuring decent work opportunities and social well-being in the process of a just transition toward a greener economy, and to build a tested intervention model and best practice examples for other countries wishing to follow the just transition guidelines and adopt green jobs strategies.

To implement just transition in Uruguay, project activities have been launched since 2016, such as consultations with tripartite stakeholders, studies on renewable energy sectors, and capacity building through different training have contributed to improving constituents’ knowledge about the employment impacts of the transition towards a greener. National studies on Uruguay showed the relevance of green jobs for increased environmental protection and improvements in competitiveness. Focus has been put on green jobs study in citrus sector (environmental and labour aspect), which could help understanding the expected changes, challenges and opportunities ahead and provide useful inputs for sectorial social dialogue.

Recently a National Green Jobs Workshop was held from 31 May to 2 June 2017 in order to increase stakeholders’ knowledge and understanding about green jobs possible implementation strategies and policies, and to promote their creation.


Uruguay’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) adopted in 2015 focus on productive development, business development and job creation. A green jobs assessment published in 2016 provides an overview of existing green jobs in selected sectors and analyses opportunities and challenges for the creation of new green jobs

Uruguay is one of the three pilot countries for the application of the ILO policy framework “Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all” through the ILO Green Initiative.