Thea Lee, Deputy Undersecretary for the International Affairs Department of the U.S. Department of Labor, emphasized the importance of integrating labor priorities, including fair wages, worker protections, and union rights, into the global climate agenda during a recent press briefing at COP29, Azernews reports.

Lee highlighted the U.S. commitment to ensuring that workers benefit from the green economy, particularly as the world shifts toward renewable energy. "As we work to slow human-caused climate change, it is equally urgent that workers benefit from the transition to a green economy," she said.

For the U.S., a just transition means ensuring that workers in the clean energy sector enjoy fair wages, safe and healthy workplaces, and the right to join unions and collectively bargain. Lee also underscored the administration's efforts to promote investments in underserved and impacted communities and to eliminate child labour, forced labour, and discrimination within the clean energy supply chain.

This year marks the second consecutive year that the U.S. Department of Labor has participated in COP discussions, with Lee pointing to significant support from the Brazilian Labor Minister in pushing for greater engagement from labour ministries in climate talks. She noted that the inclusion of the Department of Labor on the U.S. negotiating team for the first time was a historic step and encouraged other countries to follow suit.

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