Istanbul, Türkiye, 26^th November 2024, United Nations Development Programme’s Istanbul International Centre for Private Sector in Development (UNDP IICPSD), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Enerjisa Enerji jointly announced the initiative on “Promoting Green Skills in Türkiye’s Energy Sector” during a side event at the COP29’s Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) Pavilion on November 16^th, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.  

UNDP and EBRD’s jointed initiative the ‘Skills for an Inclusive Future (S4IF)’ Network will provide technical support to Enerjisa Enerji to promote green skills and jobs in Turkish energy sector contributing Türkiye’s green economy transition. This support will focus on analyzing the green labor market to identify job opportunities, skills requirements, and existing gaps. It will also develop targeted training programmes to enhance green skills, particularly for underserved groups in the sector.

The announcement was made with the participants of high-level speakers, Mr. Thomas Beloe, Director of the UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub, Mrs. Barbara Rambousek, Director of the EBRD Gender and Economic Inclusion, and Mr. Kıvanç Zaimler, President of the Sabancı Holding Energy Group.

Director of the UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub Mr. Thomas Beloe emphasized the importance of private sector expertise to ensure the inclusion of underserved groups in skill development. He added that the S4IF Network would be timely to facilitate public-private partnerships and mobilize resources for inclusive skills development. He also stated, “the joint initiative by the EBRD, UNDP, and Enerjisa Enerji is a great opportunity to address the private sector’s role in meeting the growing demand for green skills, especially in energy.”

Director of the EBRD Gender and Economic Inclusion Mrs. Barbara Rambousek, highlighted the importance of investing in skills and people for a sustainable and just transition towards a greener future. She stated that “through UNDP and EBRD’s S4IF initiative, we are working together to identify job opportunities, skills requirements and develop targeted training programmes in partnership with the private sector. By working together, we can amplify opportunities and generate transformational impact, changing the lives of people across Turkiye towards a green future.”

President of the Sabancı Holding Energy Group Mr. Kıvanç Zaimler stated that the green energy transition is creating many new sectors, making it crucial to provide a skilled workforce with ‘green and digital skills.’ He expressed his appreciation for the initiative by saying, “We are delighted to be a partner in the first implementation of such a valuable initiative in our country, alongside institutions like UNDP and EBRD, with whom we have collaborated on numerous projects across various fields for an extenden period.”

About the S4IF Network

The S4IF Network was established by UNDP IICPSD and the EBRD in 2021. It engages and cooperates with the private sector to prepare underserved populations for the changing nature of work with skills for the future and to advance twin transformation. The S4IF Network will seek to do this by integrating and amplifying existing efforts in private sector engagement in skill development initiatives, and by drawing on expertise and experiences that are global in breadth, whilst ensuring knowledge sharing is actionable and locally relevant. It works by facilitating public-private partnerships and mobilizing resources for inclusive skill development.