Just Transitions Toolkit: A Policymaker's Guide to Inclusive Planning

The guide identifies key barriers to Just Transitions—including institutional capacity gaps, structural labour market vulnerabilities, and limited financing—and offers a strategic roadmap for policymakers. It argues that Just Transitions must move beyond a narrow focus on the energy sector to become a holistic, cross-ministerial strategy integrated into national development plans. Key recommendations include adopting needs-based capacity building, establishing robust social protection systems, and shifting international climate finance toward a more participatory, social-justice-oriented model.

• Institutional and administrative capacity gaps, such as personnel turnover and a lack of cross-government coordination, hinder the planning of Just Transitions. In the Global South, ministries responsible for climate plans often lack the capacity to engage other national institutions in key sectors.
• Structural labour market challenges, particularly in the Global South, exacerbate the risks of climate transitions. High rates of informal labour in sectors like agriculture, mining, and transport—such as in Bangladesh where the informal sector employs 87% of the labour force—create gaps that can deepen inequalities if not addressed through tailored reskilling and social protection.
• International climate finance is often too focused on techno-economic solutions and donor interests, frequently overlooking the social justice and developmental priorities of recipient countries. This unidirectional model can lead to a disconnect between climate goals and national budgeting.
• Just Transitions are frequently misconstrued as being limited to the energy sector, which prevents them from being implemented as a comprehensive, cross-cutting strategy across all economic sectors and government ministries.
• Effective stakeholder engagement must be early, systematic, and inclusive of marginalised groups to ensure legitimacy and reduce social conflict. The guide suggests that while virtual formats increase accessibility in countries like Colombia, in-person engagements are more effective for building trust in Kenya and Malawi.
• Integrating Just Transitions into national development plans enhances their legitimacy and resource allocation. For example, Colombia included JTs in its development plan across labour, energy, climate, and industry, while Kenya incorporated climate policies into County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs).

APA

Climate Strategies (2024). Just Transitions Toolkit: A Policymaker's Guide to Inclusive Planning. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Just-Transitions-Toolkit-A-Policymakers-Guide-to-Inclusive-Planning-6.pdf

Chicago

Climate Strategies. Just Transitions Toolkit: A Policymaker's Guide to Inclusive Planning. 2024. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Just-Transitions-Toolkit-A-Policymakers-Guide-to-Inclusive-Planning-6.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Strategies |title=Just Transitions Toolkit: A Policymaker's Guide to Inclusive Planning |date=2024 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Just-Transitions-Toolkit-A-Policymakers-Guide-to-Inclusive-Planning-6.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatestrategies2024just, author = {{Climate Strategies}}, title = {{Just Transitions Toolkit: A Policymaker's Guide to Inclusive Planning}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2024}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Just-Transitions-Toolkit-A-Policymakers-Guide-to-Inclusive-Planning-6.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }