LocationsRemarks by Mr. James George at the 2025 UNDP Hydrogen Industry Talent Development Conference
December 19, 2025
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in China, James George, delivered remarks virtually at the 2025 UNDP Hydrogen Industry Talent Development Conference held in Foshan, China.
Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen,
Good morning!
It is a pleasure to join you virtually for the 2025 UNDP Hydrogen Industry Talent Development Conference.
While I am unable to be in Foshan today, I am very much with you in spirit for this important gathering, convening a community united by a shared commitment to cultivating talent and advancing the hydrogen industry in support of sustainable development in China.
We meet at a time of profound global transformation.
Technological innovation, climate pressures, and evolving labor markets are reshaping economies everywhere.
Amid these shifts, one truth remains constant: people are at the heart of sustainable development.
Their skills, ideas, and determination ultimately shape whether progress is inclusive, resilient, and lasting.
This is especially evident in sectors undergoing rapid transition. The hydrogen sector is one of them.
Globally, momentum is accelerating — with more than 1,500 projects announced as of 2024, and a marked increase in giga-scale initiatives. [1]
Governments are taking note: by late 2024, 58 countries and two regional groups had adopted hydrogen strategies; prior to 2020, only four had done so. [2]
These figures reflect both the scale of ambition and the speed of change.
In China, the scale of this transition is clearly visible.
Annual hydrogen production and consumption recently surpassed 36.5 million tonnes, ranking first globally. [3]
And as of 30 June 2025, China had built 560 hydrogen refuelling stations nationwide. [4]
These are not just numbers — they represent the drivers behind it all: workplaces, classrooms, workshops, and most importantly, people acquiring new skills and stepping into new roles.
Hydrogen holds great promise: it can serve as an energy carrier and help decarbonize sectors that are difficult to electrify, from heavy industry to transport.
Yet its development faces technological, market, and policy uncertainties.
Green hydrogen, produced through renewable-powered electrolysis, is increasingly recognized as a key tool for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry and long-distance transport.
With abundant renewable potential, many developing countries are well positioned to become major producers. Yet without careful governance, green hydrogen risks reinforcing historical extractive patterns while failing to deliver broad-based development benefits.
In September this year, UNDP’s Sustainable Energy Hub released a report titled Navigating the Currents of Green Hydrogen Towards a Human Development-Centred Framework – developed with the University of Oxford’s TIDE Centre.
The report notes three points that I would like to share today for your consideration.
We need to ensure that hydrogen strategies align with human development goals.
For people, projects must expand energy access, build resilient electricity systems, and support labor upskilling to enable a just transition.
For the planet, policies must address risks around land, water, biodiversity, and critical minerals, applying strong environmental safeguards and circular economy principles.
For prosperity, countries must integrate hydrogen into industrial policy, promote local value addition, and guard against technological obsolescence, while adopting a cautious, phased approach to investment.
"Technology alone does not deliver sustainable development. People, institutions, environmental considerations and sound governance do."
That complexity is a reminder: technology alone does not deliver sustainable development. People, institutions, environmental considerations and sound governance do.
We also need coherent, consistent and coordinated whole of government and whole of society approaches.
Ultimately, green hydrogen is not a development guarantee but a policy choice.
With inclusive planning, transparent governance, and context-specific strategies, it can help countries decarbonize, diversify their economies, and expand human well-being. Without such measures, it risks deepening inequality and environmental strain.
To achieve this, preparing talents for the opportunities of tomorrow is so vital and especially with a clear line of sight of international trends and standards.
Hydrogen is a hands-on industry.
It needs technicians, operators, safety specialists, and trainers who can translate knowledge and international standards into practice.
Vocational programs provide that bridge: through workshops, labs, and industry-linked training, they equip learners with practical, job-ready skills while building confidence to adapt as the sector evolves.
The Greater Bay Area — and Foshan in particular — offers a compelling example.
Since 2021, UNDP has been pleased to support the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area Hydrogen Economy Vocational College Demonstration Project in equipping students and teachers with critical skills to step into new roles.
So far, over 2,000 students have benefited from the programme, with women making up more than 20%.
Last year’s conference emphasized the need to shift our focus from close-door, isolated school training toward a system-oriented approach that aligns education with real industrial demand and international standards, capable of developing and sustaining a skilled workforce over time.
As we move forward, we must ensure that all communities, including the most vulnerable, benefit from and have access to tomorrow’s opportunities.
By strengthening vocational education and talent development, we can ensure that industrial transformations supports human progress — and that the hydrogen sector truly supports the well-being of both people and the planet.
In closing, I would like to thank our partners across government, industry, and academia for their collaboration, trust, and support.
At UNDP, we remain committed to working together to align efforts, scale impact, and explore new areas of collaboration to advance the SDGs, as well as the development priorities outlined in the new 15th Five-Year Plan.
I look forward to the conversations ahead and to seeing this community turn vision into reality for a greener, inclusive and more sustainable future for all.
Thank you.
[1] https://hydrogen.unido.org/publication/guidelines-sustainable-hydrogen-projects-developing-countries
[3] https://www.nea.gov.cn/20250430/96022785b3a747248288ad1c57d3a025/c.html
[4] https://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/2025-07-28/doc-infhywqz5818192.shtml
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