GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) faces a "defining moment" in its quest for a fair globalization, Director-General Juan Somavia said today in an address to tripartite delegates representing 177 member States at the 92nd International Labour Conference.
Following a special session earlier in the day during which heads of state and government, and representatives of workers and employers, hailed the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization as a platform for new, more coherent policies on globalization, Mr. Somavia presented what he called a series of key challenges to the tripartite delegates for their consideration and guidance.
"The stakes are high", Mr. Somavia said. "We all know that if we don't solve the employment challenge, global stability is at risk."
Mr. Somavia proposed four clear challenges for the ILO to create a fair globalization and make its contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half. He said these challenges were: making decent work a global goal, making the ILO a global player in shaping globalization, mobilizing tripartism for global action and making the Organization as a whole a "truly global team" in the quest for fair globalization.
The ILO is conducting a global debate on the outcomes of the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, which launched its landmark report last February. Mr. Somavia said the work of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization had helped to address this issue by closing "the dialogue divide" and proposing initiatives for "policy coherence nationally and internationally, backed by advocacy at all levels".
Mr. Somavia said the report of the Commission "offers many rich insights for strategic reflection and practical action", adding he was submitting to the Conference delegates "ideas for your consideration on the role of the ILO in light of the report".
The new ILO follow-up report entitled " A fair globalization - The role of the ILO" ( Note 1) says, "The quest for a fair globalization that creates opportunities for all will dominate international affairs in the next decade. Whether seen from the angle of social and political stability and security concerns or through the eyes of the many people for whom the benefits of globalization are today a mirage, real concerns about fairness and opportunities cannot be wished away."
To address these concerns, the report to the Conference offers proposals for making decent work a global goal, creating national policies to address globalization and establishing decent work in production systems. It also discusses dialogue and global policy coherence for growth, investment and employment, globalization and the cross-border movement of people, strengthening the international labour standards system and the role of the ILO in mobilizing action for change.
Mr. Somavia said the ILO's global reach and its tripartite system was augmented by its Governing Body, which has the necessary institutional instruments to forge a response after the Conference, including providing a strategic policy framework, incorporating follow-up to the Commission report in the next budget cycle and developing new ILO policies through discussions in its Working Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization.
"In the midst of the opportunities and imbalances of globalization described by the Commission Report, we are again challenged to look ahead", Mr. Somavia said, "to imagine our tomorrow, by building today a fair globalization where decent work for all is possible. There are precious moments in history when opportunities come and go. Seizing them requires vision to chart our actions, commitment to face the obstacles and courage to take decisions".
Many delegates welcomed the World Commission report, which in the words of Frank Fahey T.D., Minister for Labour Affairs, Ireland, had "shown that the debate on globalization can be moved from rhetoric and acrimony to dialogue and co-operation". In separate comments, Alain Ludovic Tou, Minister of Labour, Employment and Youth, Burkina Faso and a member of the World Commission said, "development cannot be based on economic criteria alone, even though these criteria have always had priority in our nations, neglecting the social dimension and creating imbalances in the end. It is time that development shows its human face again, a just development serving people".
Note 1 - " A fair globalization - The role of the ILO", Report of the Director-General on the World commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, International Labour Office, Geneva, 2004. ISBN 92-2-115787-3.