OECD side event – Green social dialogue: Building a just transition in Bangladesh

Green Social dialogue side event 19.02 

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkfuCrqDosGNNuqn9qHfzZhxsluDZk4YG1  

The Forum brings together representatives of government, business, trade unions and civil society to review progress on the implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector to address emerging risks, and to share learning on implementing due diligence across geographies in a neutral environment. 

 As part of the event, the OECD encourages attendees to also participate in a limited number of selected virtual side sessions, organised and hosted by partner organisations. These sessions take place alongside the Forum on 19, 20, and 23 February 2024. Our session 19.02 explores the role of social dialogue in achieving a just transition in Bangladesh, with lessons learned and practical examples from our guest panel with suppliers, brands and trade union representatives chaired by Executive Director Heidi Furustøl.  

Bangladesh, the RMG sector and climate change 

The readymade garment (RMG) sector is a major economic driver for Bangladesh, constituting 81% of Bangladesh's exports. At the same time, it is also the largest industrial contributor to CO2 emissions, at 15.4%. It generates 2.5 billion liters of polluted wastewater annually and contributes to air pollution. This has substantial human and business costs, affecting worker performance and global industry. Climate change risks are likely to further contribute to widening existing gender inequality gaps in the world of work, along with impacts to workers' performance and the loss of 4.84% of working hours by 2030, due to heat stress. The Government of Bangladesh, local and international businesses are committed to the transition to net-zero and a climate resilient industry. The climate policies they will need to adopt may negatively impact workers. Without a functional social dialogue mechanism workers will lack the understanding and opportunity for input into climate policies and practices. This session will share lessons learnt - from joint studies, enterprise level capacity building initiatives and hosting sectoral level multi-stakeholder forums - and practical examples of what can be done in policy making processes at all levels.