The International Young
Christian Workers- Asia Pacific (IYCW-ASPAC) organized a dynamic Social
Protection and Climate Justice seminar held in Sancanaga Tourist Village,
Bandung Indonesia last September 25, 2024. It draws attention to the interrelated
challenges of climate change and social inequality. The activity brought
together climate activists, trade union members, local communities, and
representatives from different national movements of YCW to explore possibilities
for how social protection can play a crucial role in advancing climate justice,
particularly for the most vulnerable sector.
Key
Topics and Plenary Debates
The seminar focused on the relationship between social protection and climate justice. The discussions highlighted that climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities and worsens the already existing inequalities. Factory and industrial workers, low-income families, youth, women, children, and Indigenous groups and communities often bear the impact of climate-induced disasters such as floods, droughts, and extreme heatwaves.
Anwar “Sastro” Ma’ruf, the regional
coordinator of Asia Roundtable on Social Protection (AROSP), emphasized in his
presentation that “The rapid acceleration of Climate Change increases the
socio-economic risks people face. With these challenges, social protection must
be inclusive in climate action and just transition. We believe that Social
Protection reduces people’s vulnerability to climate change by providing income
security and effective access to health care.”
The issue of Climate Justice is
not limited to reducing carbon emissions, it also needs to address the
inequities that arise from the impacts of climate change. Social protection
systems—like universal healthcare, income support, and emergency relief—are crucial
means to help vulnerable populations.
Climate Change Raising Injustice
Climate change has a profound
impact on the Garments, Textile, and Footwear Industry (GFTI), as Mr. Rizki
Estrada, coordinator from Asia Floor Wage (AFW), pointed out in his
presentation at the plenary. “Factories
and supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as
floods and droughts. Climate change is intensifying water scarcity in
Asia-Pacific regions. Dyeing and finishing processes in textile manufacturing
require vast amounts of water and with limited water supply, this could limit
production capacity and endanger the community.”
The environmental impacts of
textile and garment manufacturing processes are highly localized to where
production occurs. The communities surrounding these factories are significantly
impacted in terms of health, and quality of life, and, in many cases, affects
their livelihoods from farming and fishing.
Therefore, Multi-National
Fashion Brand Companies should be responsible for water usage and cleaner
production and operations management. Likewise, these branded companies with
main offices in high-income countries should pay the loss and damage in
production countries. The national government on the other hand should increase
the monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations.
Promoting
Climate-Resilient Social Protection Systems
The panelists highlighted the
discussion on the necessity of establishing climate-resilient social protection
systems that can mitigate the impacts of climate change while promoting
long-term sustainability. They stressed
the need to integrate climate risk assessments into social welfare programs and
the national and local government must provide enough budget for it for all its
citizens.
Mr. Anwar concluded, “Strengthening social protection is an important climate change
adaptation strategy, especially in countries where social protection coverage
is low. We
must guarantee that social protection programs are adaptive and universal. This
means equal access to essential services like healthcare, child and family
benefits, education, unemployment protection, housing, and pension.”
Call for International Solidarity
The plenary clarifies the need
for international solidarity and financial support to help developing countries
build social protection systems that are resilient to climate change. Basma
Mickael, the International President of IYCW, emphasizes the importance of the Paris
Agreement as a critical step in the global fight against climate change. “Asia
is the least responsible for global carbon emissions but is facing the highest
risks from climate change. Wealthier countries that historically contributed
more to climate change should provide financial support to help developing
countries fund Social Protection. Social Protection is about recovery. Rich
people and wealthier countries can easily recover from the impact of climate
change, but poor people and poor countries cannot. However, with Social
Protection, they can. We need to develop our international solidarity and
cooperation to not leave people with nothing.”
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