Bangladesh Unions Secure Just Transition Chapter in Climate Plan

Just Transition Bangladesh Unions Secure Just Transition Chapter in Climate Plan

The Bangladesh Government is developing its third Nationally Determined Contribution, to be submitted to the UNFCCC. After sustained efforts, the unions have been able to add a chapter on Just Transition, which includes workers’ and trade union rights.

Jyotsna Singh

Trade unions in Bangladesh registered a major victory on 21 September 2025. The country’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 included, for the first time, a dedicated chapter on Just Transition. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change unveiled the new NDC at a national validation workshop, marking a breakthrough that is the direct result of sustained advocacy by the Just Transition Bangladesh Centre (JTBC), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The new chapter reflects eight of the key demands put forward by JTBC, ensuring that climate action goes hand-in-hand with the rights and livelihoods of workers.

The six key demands put forward by JTBC, and are reflected in NDC 3.0, are:

  • Decent work & labour rights

  • Social protection & social dialogue

  • Skilling, upskilling & OHS

  • Commitments to leave no one behind, especially vulnerable workers & small enterprises in carbon-intensive sectors

  • Clear pathways to ensure climate action creates decent jobs & reduces poverty

  • Social protection measures like unemployment benefits & income support during the transition

Md. Mozibor Rahman, General Secretary, Paschimanchal Bidyut Bitaran Sramik Karmachari Union, Bangladesh, said, ““Encouraging private companies in the energy transition is not enough; renewable energy must be established and owned by the people.”

Submission of NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a requirement under the Paris Agreement and many governments, including the Bangladesh Government, are in the process of sending their third submission.

Inclusion of workers’ rights in Just Transition chapter is the first step towards a fair, inclusive and worker-centred climate transition in Bangladesh, demonstrating that climate justice and labour justice must go hand in hand. For workers and unions, this recognition within the NDC represents not just a policy win, but a validation of their long-standing demand that climate action must safeguard jobs, reduce inequality, and protect vulnerable communities.