Collaboration: ActionAid Bangladesh
Starting date: April 1, 2026
Completion date: September 15, 2025

Project description: The concept of just transition refers to a set of commitments intended to prevent the costs of decarbonisation from disproportionately impacting workers and communities least responsible for the climate crisis. As articulated in the Paris Agreement of 2015, just transition obligates governments, employers, and workers at all levels to manage the shift away from carbon-intensive production in ways that safeguard livelihoods, minimise displacement, and actively promote the creation of decent work within emerging green sectors.

For Bangladesh, a country that contributes minimally to global emissions yet experiences some of the most severe consequences, just transition represents both a climate imperative and a development necessity. With a median age of 26.3 years and over 60 per cent of the population under 35, young people face prolonged exposure to climate risks and heightened vulnerability to job disruption. However, they also constitute the primary workforce for the future green economy. Therefore, prioritising youth in just transition planning is essential for both equity and strategic foresight.

This research aims to generate rigorous, youth-centred, and gender-responsive evidence on the human cost of just transition in Bangladesh, and to translate that evidence into policy-actionable recommendations. Specifically, it seeks: (i) to assess the readiness for a youth-responsive just transition in Bangladesh, identifying groups most at risk to decent jobs and livelihood security across gender, sectors, and geography while promoting mitigation and adaptation work of climate change; (ii) to evaluate access to decent employment, livelihoods, and transition support for marginalised youth, particularly young women in climate-vulnerable contexts; and (iii) to identify youth-responsive policy priorities and support mechanisms to ensure inclusive, secure, and decent employment opportunities within the just transition process – to produce evidence that is both politically credible and institutionally actionable.

Theme: Human Capital Development

Team leader:
Dr Selim Raihan, Principal Investigator

Team members:
Zubayer Hossen, Senior Research Analyst 
Farhan Khan, Research Analyst
Fariha Khan, Research Analyst