KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr. Kishan Khoday, is calling on the Jamaican government to advance social dialogue on the Green Economic Growth Model report through stakeholder consultations with the private sector, civil society, academia, and vulnerable communities.
He said that as Jamaica considers advancing its plans for a climate-resilient economy, the country must ensure the transition leaves no vulnerable community behind.
“This requires adequate consultations, resources, and programmatic alignment to secure full participation and benefits in the green economy”, he added.
The Green Growth study forecasts up to 8,000 new jobs in Jamaica and nearly 1% greater gross domestic product (GDP) growth from a green economy compared to a business-as-usual economy.
The study was supported under the UNDP’s Climate Promise Pledge to Impact Programme, which has supported over 120 countries in enhancing and implementing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
The report calls for Jamaica to consider a complete transition to a green and climate-resilient economy, modeled on green industries and green tech, sustainable agriculture and tourism, and renewable energy.
The green growth model is projected to increase household income, leading to poverty alleviation, job creation, and a higher and more diversified growth path for the economy, while making Jamaica more resilient to the climate crisis, according to the study.
The new study has already been handed over to the government, and Dr. Khoday called for the government to carefully consider the study’s five key policy actions recommended for a just and equitable transition process that leaves no one behind – namely, social dialogue and
Social protection, skills training, green enterprise development, entrepreneurship, and fiscal policy reform.
The study explains that social protection will be necessary to help workers who face job restructuring and households negatively impacted by the energy transition. Meanwhile, green tech and climate-smart practices must be integrated into skills training outputs and curricula to meet the increasing demand for STEM and green service sector jobs.
Green enterprise development and green entrepreneurship are also recommended to support economic diversification. Fiscal policy reform is proposed as a key driver of the financial restructuring process.
The study also proposes a fiscal-neutral and progressive fossil fuel or carbon tax, which would redistribute revenues from more affluent households to those with lower incomes. It calls for revenue from carbon and energy taxes to be directed to a just transition fund, which will finance skills training, green technology investment, and social protection for workers and households negatively impacted by the transition.
The study further recommends that this progressive tax should be coupled with reduced labour taxes.
The UNDP flagship programme is supported by the governments of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Iceland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and other UNDP core contributors, and the UNDP said it underpins its contribution to the NDC Partnership and the path to this year’s critical UN Climate COP30 gathering in the region.
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