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A closer look at just transition policies
Suriname

Green Development Strategy 2025-2050

Region
Americas
Country
Suriname
Originator/Owner
Government ministries and agencies (national level)
Coordinating/Lead actor
Ministry of Environment
Policy type
Strategies (plans, frameworks, roadmaps, blueprints)
Policy areas
Industrial and sectoral policies, Macroeconomic and growth policies, Skills development, Social dialogue and tripartism, Social protection
Environmental focus
Climate change
Target groups
Indigenous people, Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), Workers, Youth
Sectoral focus
Agriculture, Forestry and Land use, Energy, Extractives, Financial services, Manufacturing, Maritime and transport, Public services, utilities and health, Tourism
Crosscutting themes
Digital economy, Employment/job creation, Gender equality, Green economy, Informal economy
Date of Adoption
14 Feb 2025
Timeframe
2025-2050
14 Feb 2025
Adoption
2050
Economic, social, and environmental outcome goals
Green Development Strategy 2025-2050.pdf
English, PDF

A national policy framework guiding the country through a pivotal moment: the arrival of major offshore oil and gas revenues, while also being one of the world's most forested (and carbon-negative) nations.

By linking economic growth with environmental protection and social inclusion, the GDS aims to ensure that the country’s natural wealth benefits all citizens, including marginalized communities, Indigenous peoples, and low-income groups. Anchored in concrete mechanisms, funding, legal frameworks, labour protections, and community rights, the strategy charts a clear course toward greater prosperity, equity, and resilience by 2050.

The GDS frames oil revenues as a one-time opportunity to fund a structural transition, not a permanent economic model. A Sovereign Wealth Fund is proposed to stabilize and govern these revenues transparently for long-term benefit. The strategy is targeting a 50% increase in green sector employment (renewable energy, agro-processing, eco-tourism) by 2045, with 75% of vocational programs incorporating green skills certification by 2035.

With a 25-year horizon and a commitment to maintaining 93% forest cover, the strategy is explicitly framed as a promise to future generations, preserving both natural wealth and fiscal stability rather than liquidating them.

Key insights
Four key pillars with linked practices for an economically prosperous, environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, and resilient future for all Surinamese

The strategy is an example of promoting broad-based policy coherence to address interlinkages between the dimensions of sustainable development. Its four pillars are: Sustainable Economic Diversification; Environmental Protection & Climate Resilience; Social Inclusivity & Equity; and Good Governance & Institutional Strengthening

Each pillar comes with sector-specific strategies:

Pillar 1: Sustainable Economic Diversification and Growth aims to break Suriname's reliance on gold, oil, and other extractive industries by expanding into agriculture, forestry, ecotourism, financial services, ICT, and renewable energy. The vision includes adopting a circular economy model to enhance resource efficiency and minimize waste, investing in resilient infrastructure, and promoting eco-tourism that directly benefits local communities. Renewable energy sources (hydro, solar, and wind) are central to this shift, alongside green technology and innovation as drivers of long-term economic resilience.

Pillar 2: Environmental Protection and Climate Resilience. The strategy envisions strengthening sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation (including wetlands and coastal zones), expanding protected areas, tightening pollution controls, and developing climate-resilient infrastructure to address risks like sea-level rise. Measures on responsible extraction of timber forest products, and a phase-out of illegal artisanal gold mining by 2035 are here included.

Pillar 3: Social Inclusivity and Equity initiatives include expanding access to quality education and healthcare (particularly in remote interior districts), implementing targeted social safety nets to reduce income inequality, promoting gender equality in education and employment, protecting the rights and traditional knowledge of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, and investing in youth entrepreneurship and green job skills. The strategy also sets concrete labour targets: expanding social protection to 80% of workers in green transition industries by 2035; achieving 40% workforce participation from women, youth, and Indigenous populations in emerging green sectors by 2040; and reducing informal employment by 30% by 2035.

Pillar 4: Good Governance and Institutional Strengthening envisions a transparent, accountable, and participatory governance framework as the backbone of the entire strategy. This involves strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms and enforcement, implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), establishing a well-managed Sovereign Wealth Fund to govern oil and gas revenues responsibly, building institutional capacity across ministries, and ensuring broad public participation and social dialogue in decision-making. International cooperation and alignment with global frameworks, including the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, are also central to this pillar.

Expected Outcomes
Increase GDP per capita while maintaining C02-negative status by 2050
Implementation
The GDS Act, the National Development Council and an investement of USD 72.5 billion over 25 years

The strategy is anchored in the GDS Act, a dedicated law that protects its principles across political cycles. It obliges all government entities to align policies with the GDS, bans unsustainable resource extraction, and ensures natural‑resource revenues are channelled into long‑term investment rather than short‑term spending.

The National Development Council, a new constitutional body, sits at the centre of the governance system. It brings together government, private sector, Indigenous and Tribal communities, civil society, youth, and women. Its core responsibilities are to:

  • review policies for GDS compliance
  • rack progress against KPIsn-publish regular accountability reports to the public and the President

Timeline & Funding

Implementation follows an accelerated schedule: drafting completed in Q4 2024; parliamentary submission in Q1 2025; enactment in Q2 2025; Council established and first monitoring report released by end‑2025.

Funding allocation across the four pillars reflects clear priorities: Economic Growth (35%) and Environmental Protection (30%) together absorb nearly two thirds of the total. Social Equity receives 25%, with Labor and Employment specifically allocated USD 1.36 billion within that pillar. Governance gets 10%. Crucially, 65% of financing (USD 47.2bn) is expected to come from public funds, primarily offshore oil and gas revenues from 2028 onward. International climate finance is expected to contribute 20% (USD 14.5bn), and private sector investment through PPPs the remaining 15% (USD 10.9bn).

This makes the strategy's viability heavily dependent on how well oil revenues are managed and ring-fenced for sustainable investment.

Social partners and other community stakeholders have been consulted through meetings, workshops, and public dialogues in all three phases of the policy design between May and December 2024
27 May 2024 - 03 Jul 2024
Consultations round 1 | Assessment of existing gaps and challenges (baseline).
01 Aug 2024 - 02 Aug 2024
Consultations round 2 | Development of a long term vision.
Oct 2024
ILO provided technical trainings on social dialogue and just transition to constituents. | These workshops focused on different themes linked to just transition such as decent working conditions and economic policy-making and sustainable development. They provided an opportunity for tripartite partners to understand and exchange techniques on the topics.
06 Nov 2024 - 20 Dec 2024
Consultations round 3 | Consolidation and validation of GDS.
Other stakeholders
Inclusion and protection of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' rights in the GDS

ITPs are positioned not as beneficiaries but as co‑architects of Suriname’s sustainable development pathway through legal recognition, inclusive governance, climate resilience, and community‑driven economic opportunities.

  • Secure Rights & Representation: formal seats for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in the National Development Council, plus strengthened legal protection of land and resource rights.
  • Climate & Forest Benefits: targeted adaptation financing and guaranteed benefit‑sharing from carbon credits, sustainable forestry, and biodiversity‑based revenues.
  • Community‑Led Development: support for sustainable livelihoods (eco‑tourism, non‑timber products), participation in biodiversity conservation, and protection of cultural heritage.