Go to ILO global website
A closer look at just transition policies
Mexico

Mexico’s Updated Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0

Region
Americas
Country
Mexico
Originator/Owner
Government ministries and agencies (national level)
Coordinating/Lead actor
Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
Policy type
Policies
Policy areas
Active labour market policies, Enterprise policies, Industrial and sectoral policies, Macroeconomic and growth policies, Rights, Skills development, Social dialogue and tripartism, Social protection
Environmental focus
Biodiversity loss, Climate change, Pollution
Target groups
Employers, Indigenous people, Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), Other, Women, Workers, Youth
Sectoral focus
Agriculture, Forestry and Land use, Chemical industry, Energy, Extractives, Financial services, Infrastructure, construction and related sectors, Manufacturing, Marine and coastal sectors, Maritime and transport, Other, Private services sector, Public services, utilities and health, Tourism
Crosscutting themes
Circular economy, Digital economy, Employment/job creation, Finance (public/private), Gender equality, Green economy, Nature Based Solutions
Date of Adoption
04 Nov 2025
Timeframe
2025-2035
04 Nov 2025
Adoption of Mexico’s NDC 3.0
2035
End of validity
Mexico's NDC 3.0.pdf
Spanish, PDF

Mexico's NDC 3.0 is embedding social justice at its core.

It follows a five component structure, covering mitigation, adaptation, losses & damages, cross-cutting policy and enabling environment. For the first time, Mexico's mitigation target is in absolute terms.

The NDC commits to developing a National Just Transition Plan that distributes the costs and benefits of climate action equitably, protects labour rights throughout the low-carbon shift, and specifically includes just transition measures for workers in sectors being phased out (e.g. coal/thermoelectric power plants). The Ministry of Labour (STPS) is to be formally integrated into climate governance bodies.

Considering green jobs, key commitments include: designing a strategy to create green and decent jobs in priority sectors; reskilling and retraining workers in high-emission industries; strengthening Payment for Environmental Services schemes as a community-level green employment tool; and specifically targeting green job opportunities for women, Indigenous peoples, and Afro-Mexican communities. Care work is also flagged for recognition as a form of green employment.

Key insights
This is the first Mexican NDC to explicitly integrate a just transition framework in alignment with the ILO guidelines

The policy incorporates labour rights, social dialogue, green jobs, skills development, social protection and inclusive economic transformation directly into the country’s climate policy framework under the Paris Agreement.

A major strength of the policy is the structured, tripartite, multi-stakeholder dialogue process that underpinned its development.

Employers’ organisations, trade unions, government institutions, Indigenous peoples, women, youth, academia, civil society and international organisations participated in consultations, sectoral dialogues and workshops led by SEMARNAT and INECC, with technical support from the ILO. Dedicated tripartite discussions involving CONCAMIN, CTM, CROC, CROM and UNT contributed concrete recommendations linking labour to the social dimensions of climate action.

The policy refers to just transition as a crosscutting pillar spanning mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, financing, and other governance components. It includes commitments on labour reconversion, MSMEs, cooperatives, gender equality and participation of vulnerable groups in climate governance.

Expected Outcomes
To generate significant environmental, social and economic impacts by integrating just transition principles
Implementation
Strong institutional anchoring

It was approved by Mexico’s Intersecretarial Commission on Climate Change (CICC) and aligned with national development planning instruments, thereby strengthening its long-term implementation potential through 2035.

Mexico’s NDC 3.0 was developed through an extensive participatory and multi-stakeholder consultation process led by SEMARNAT and INECC. The process included sectoral dialogues, bilateral meetings, thematic workshops, consultations and online participation mechanisms
Mar 2025 - Sep 2025
Multi-stakeholder consultation process for NDC 3.0 | Actors: Federal government ministries and agencies (SEMARNAT, INECC and others), subnational governments, employers’ organizations, workers’ organizations and trade unions. | More than 200 participants from 52 public institutions and a broad range of social actors contributed to discussions on mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, gender, human rights and just transition. Inputs collected during the consultations were systematized and incorporated into the final NDC 3.0 document.
30 Jun 2025
Tripartite Just Transition Dialogue with support from the ILO | Actors: SEMARNAT, STPS, ILO, CONCAMIN, CTM, CROC, CROM, UNT, employers’ representatives, workers’ organisations, and government institutions. | During the event, the Rapid Situation Analysis (RSA) on Just Transition for the NDC 3.0 was presented and discussed with representatives from government, employers’ organizations and trade unions. The dialogue focused on labour and social dimensions of climate policy, including green jobs, decent work, labour rights, skills development, social protection and inclusive transition pathways. The process generated recommendations to strengthen the incorporation of just transition principles into the NDC 3.0 and reinforced tripartite social dialogue mechanisms to ensure that no one is left behind.
Other stakeholders
Consultations also included:

Academia, civil society organizations, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, youth groups, private sector representatives, international organizations and financial actors.