Insights and Highlights from IOE's Participation at COP28

IOE concludes COP28 with milestones achieved and strengthened connections within its membership.

Despite geopolitical and economic challenges and divided views on some of the difficult issues on the agenda, the COP28 United Arab Emirates Presidency concluded today with consensus reached on numerous decisions – in particular on the overarching one - the "Global Stocktake" text.

The now agreed-upon Global Stocktake text calls on countries to contribute to the transition away from fossil fuels. This is the first time there is an explicit mention of reducing use of fossil fuels. The Stocktake also recognised that the current levels of finance given by richer countries to help their poorer counterparts cope with climate change and move to renewables has been lacking.

Finally, the Stocktake text includes specific mentions of the role of the private sector, the need for skilling and capacity building, economic diversification and action based on national priorities and contexts.

The Just Transition Work Programme emerged as a pivotal decision and discussion point this year. It has strong labour dimensions and mentions specifically social dialogue, social protection, labour rights, human rights, right to a clean environment, right to development, of indigenous peoples etc. it also mentions socioeconomic and workforce dimensions. However, It does not mention the importance of anticipating skills or does not yet highlight the relevance of enterprises to create new kind of jobs. Nevertheless, it will be a programme to 'discuss just transition pathways' and will have biannual dialogues where these elements will need to be included.

IOE participation

The involvement of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) at COP28 was substantial and marked a significant milestone. IOE hosted the first-ever Employers and Green Skills Pavilion within the Blue Zone, in collaboration with Deloitte, MEDEF (Mouvement des Entreprises de France), LinkedIn, and Cargill.

The Pavilion served as a dedicated space for IOE's global employer community of members and partners, promoting the importance of green skills development, establishing new relationships and collaboration opportunities as well as hosting many side-events focused on various employment, labour market and just transition aspects in the context of climate action and private sector priorities

IOE organised over 10 events at its Pavilion, including an official UNFCCC side-event in collaboration with the United States Council for International Business, Confederation of Indian Industry, and the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE).

 Additionally, IOE coordinated two sessions in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO). IOE maintained a presence in the ILO Just Transition Pavilion for the second consecutive year. During this time, IOE actively collaborated with ILO colleagues, hosting events, participating in others, and advancing the just transition agenda.

As States negotiated the first Just Transition Work Programme, focusing on the socioeconomic elements of the decarbonisation transition, IOE and the International Trade Union Confederation published a joint press release calling on negotiators to consider elements of the Resolution from the International Labour Conference as a solid basis to reach a common understanding of just transition for the Work Programme.

IOE is committed to closely monitoring the development of the Just Transition Work Programme. This involves ensuring that the voices of businesses are not only heard but also factored into the implementation of the programme and subsequent policy discussions and progress at the national level.

IOE also made significant progress in advancing its initiative, the Employers’ Alliance for Green Skills, during COP28. This involved collaborating with members on the ground to prepare country-level case studies. Notably, four member organisations, namely the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association, Barbados Employers’ Confederation, Employers’ Federation of Pakistan and the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, participated as part of the IOE delegation for the first time. This not only enhanced their capacity to contribute to crucial developments but also set the stage for their continued participation in future initiatives.

More broadly, representatives from IOE and its members actively participated in various other events, ranging from high-level Presidency gatherings with Ministers to UN-led sessions involving numerous participating agencies. They also engaged in private-sector discussions with companies and other stakeholders. The comprehensive engagement and meticulous planning were highly fruitful, establishing a robust foundation for continued involvement in the coming year and paving the way for the exploration of new initiatives and partnerships.

General information

Overall, according to the UNFCCC, there have been 285 press conferences, 152 global climate action events, 366 side events (some of them co-hosted by IOE) and 195 exhibits over the course of the last two weeks. This is on top of the dozens of negotiating sessions each day and the thousands of events hosted by 225 pavilions. Needless to say, the amount of information exchanged and perspectives shared was immense. Furthermore, there were important announcements made with ambitious commitments across several dimensions.

All of the decision documents can be found here on the official page. The UNFCCC press release for the end of COP28 is published here. For a very detailed and informative overview of the different decisions and outcomes please consult this analysis.