Sabina Dewan, Founder and Executive Director, JustJobs Network, was part of a high-level policy roundtable with Sri Lankan policy-makers on “Bridging Policy Pathways for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future of Work in Asia”, jointly organized by LIRNEasia, International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), as part of the FutureWORKS Collective.
During the discussion on “Enabling a Just Transition”, several key insights emerged:
- The labour market is being reshaped by a confluence of forces — climate change, the global energy transition, technological shifts, pandemics, trade shocks, and demographic changes.
- Moving away from coal, while necessary, could have cascading effects across sectors and communities.
- A Just Transition demands coordinated action across economies — businesses, workers, and governments alike must adapt on an unprecedented scale.
– Workers will need support to shift between occupations
– Businesses must adopt new technologies and cleaner energy
– Governments must craft agile, inclusive policy frameworks under tight fiscal conditions
The conversation further underscored the urgent need for inclusive and forward-looking policy ecosystems to ensure that no one is left behind.
