8 December 2010

Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations headquarters

56 rue de Lille 75007, Paris

 

The transition to a sustainable economy has become a major challenge for most of the countries across the OECD region and beyond. This transition is also a solution to exit the recent financial crisis and recover.

This seminar analysed and discussed the role that local development actors can play in facilitating the adaptation to the green economy and the programmes to support the creation of greener jobs.  Two major issues were addressed: 

1. The transition to a green economy will impact the localities unevenly as the direct impacts of climate change will hit in different ways, and the policies and regulations will modify the industries in place. 

• To what extent does this transition to a greener economy put the local level at the core of the economic and employment development actions? 
• How can the local authorities manage and facilitate this transition in the best conditions?  

2. The "green transition" of the economy has important consequences on employment and skills.  Some jobs will be created, others destroyed, but most of them will evolve to meet the needs of the new demands.  

• Which strategies can local actors put in place to seize the opportunities arising from this transition?
• How can the labour market meet the needs of the industry and the greener economy in general?
• Can the green economy be an opportunity for social inclusion and growth?

Organisation

This event was jointly organised by the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme, and the Entreprises Territoires et Developpement (ETD, France) in collaboration with the Institut CDC pour la Recherche (France). 

Objectives 

This seminar aimed at reflecting on the role that local actors play in the economic transitions, and notably in the context of green growth. Good practices and approaches adopted across the OECD region were discussed to identify the successful elements to face this transition.  This event contributeed to the OECD Green Growth Strategy.

This seminar also provided a platform for exchange of expertise and know-how in the topic, notably drawing on the OECD project on Climate Change, Employment and Local Development being carried out by LEED, as well as the ETD programme on « Croissance verte et emploi » funded by the ESF.  The OECD LEED project benefits from the financial support of the European Commission.

Programme

You can download the programme here. 

Practical information

• Participants: This was a public event, open to a wide audience.  Space was limited.  
• Registration: There was no registration fee.  
• Interpretation: English-French-Spanish interpretation was provided.  Italian interpretation was available in the afternoon session as well.
• Venue: The seminar was held at the headquarters of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations in Paris: 56 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris.  View online map.

Further information

For further information on this event, please contact Ms Gabriela Miranda from the OECD Secretariat.