ASEAN Green Jobs Forum Concludes in Makati City

Makati City Host to Regional Transition

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations must mobilize targeted financing, align workforce skills with evolving labor market demands, and expand social protection systems to ensure the regional transition to sustainable industries creates stable livelihoods, delegates concluded at the 2026 ASEAN Green Jobs Forum. The two-day conference concluded on 20 October 2026 in Makati City, the Philippines, bringing together regional leaders, labor representatives, and employers to advance the ASEAN Framework and Action Plan for a Just and Inclusive Transition to Green Jobs 2025-2030.

Labor Ministers Push for Concrete Measures in Manila

Francis Tolentino opened the ASEAN Green Jobs Forum in Manila on Monday, 19 October 2026, urging member states to turn existing regional policy commitments into practical workplace realities, the Daily Tribune reported. Tolentino told delegates that the impending sustainability shift must prioritize worker welfare across every member nation. He emphasized that the newly adopted framework plan requires immediate implementation mechanisms rather than remaining solely on paper.

Framework Priorities for Regional Labor Markets

Carmela I. Torres, Undersecretary, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), outlined three core priorities in her closing address to direct regional action through 2030. Torres stated that the green transition represents an economic and labor challenge rather than a purely environmental objective. The priorities include directing investments toward industries that generate sustainable employment, linking labor policies directly with skills training, and securing adequate financing and technical resources.

Under the adopted framework, qualifying green jobs must substantially improve environmental quality while meeting rigorous decent work standards. These standards require adequate wage structures, safe physical working conditions, established social protection floors, and formal recognition of workers’ rights. The discussions also emphasized the inclusion of informal workers, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, women, and young people.

Technical Cooperation and Future Centers of Excellence

Member states advanced proposals for enhanced technical cooperation during the Makati City sessions, including shared standards for green skills and mutual recognition mechanisms to ease cross-border workforce mobility. The Philippines specifically backed the establishment of an ASEAN Green Jobs Centre of Excellence to guide member governments in drafting implementation policies. The forum received organizational support from the Australian Government through the Australia for ASEAN Futures Initiative alongside the ASEAN Secretariat, aiding the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in preparing the national workforce for industrial and technological shifts.