Provisional Record 8 99Th Session, Geneva, 2010
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International Labour Conference Provisional Record 8 99th Session, Geneva, 2010 Third sitting Thursday, 10 June 2010, 10.10 a.m. Presidents: Mr de Robien and Mr Nakajima support of more than 160 countries, the UN Eco- PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON nomic and Social Council adopted the resolution, OF THE GOVERNING BODY “Recovering from the crisis: A Global Jobs Pact”. If employment and social protection were to be the Original French: The PRESIDENT (Mr DE ROBIEN) drivers and ultimate purposes of the recovery, the We will begin our work with the presentation of Pact had to be streamlined into the multilateral sys- the report of the Chairperson of the Governing tem. What was born as a portfolio of concrete Body to the Conference for the year 2009–10. The measures had to become an international reference. report is published in Provisional Record No. 1. It had to be an inspiration to a more sustainable I now give the floor to Ms Farani Azevêdo, economy and a more democratic and legitimate in- Chairperson of the Governing Body. After her pres- ternational order. As was stated last November by entation, I will give the floor to the spokespersons Minister Celso Amorim of Brazil in the Working of the groups and open the general discussion. Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization, a Ms AZEVÊDO (Chairperson of the Governing Body of the new and more inclusive global governance is re- International Labour Office) quired to protect the most vulnerable members of I would like first to recall that tomorrow is the society. We heard similar messages from Mr Comp- opening of the first ever soccer World Cup in an ton Bourne, President of the Caribbean Develop- African country. I want to express how proud we ment Bank, and from Ms Helen Clark, Administra- are to have an important event in South Africa. It is tor of the United Nations Development Programme a sign of recognition that Africa has the ability to (UNDP), in the same Working Party in March. organize world-class international major events. It These developments, as well as the adoption by the is also an expression of a more inclusive and de- UNDP Executive Board of a decision on the Global mocratic world, in which we can all take part. This Jobs Pact, have helped promote employment as a is why the World Cup is so special, and this is also key parameter for a coherent response by the multi- a reason for us to be happy for South Africa, be- lateral system. cause the World Cup means the principles and val- Despite the efforts on the multilateral front, the ues that guide us in the ILO. So this is the time of implementation of the Pact at the country level re- South Africa. mained a priority. In November last year and in I am very honoured to present to you highlights of March this year, the Governing Body and many of my report as the Chairperson of the ILO Governing its Committees examined topics related to the crisis, Body for the period 2009–10. The report itself has including the development of partnerships with na- been made available to you as a Conference docu- tional and local governments and the inclusion of ment. the Pact in the activities of the Decent Work Coun- The 99th Session of the International Labour Con- try Programmes. The Governing Body was able to ference marks the first anniversary of the Global take a series of decisions to guide the Office on Jobs Pact, as well as the second anniversary of the these issues. These decisions will definitely con- ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Global- tribute to a jobs-based recovery that benefits the ization. These two instruments, and the Decent poor – precisely those who have borne the brunt of Work Agenda they have embraced, provide a pow- the recession. erful framework of policy resources to help us over- The International Institute for Labour Studies, come the effects of the economic and social crisis. with the support of Brazil and France, in the person They are profoundly human texts. They place peo- of our President of the Conference, Gilles de Ro- ple at the centre of the economic rebound and em- bien, held a seminar on national efforts to overcome ployment at the heart of recovery policies. the crisis. This event provided a rich exchange of The Governing Body, over the year in which I concrete experiences, policies and practices that have had the honour to direct its work, has devoted have enabled the Pact to become a reality on the much thought, dedicated vigorous efforts and ground. shown unwavering commitment to guiding the Of- Our discussions at the November and March ses- fice to promote and implement the Social Justice sions of the Governing Body mapped out a clear Declaration and the Global Jobs Pact. line of action for the work of the Office. In the In June 2009, the Pact was introduced in the course of last year, the Global Jobs Pact has been agenda of all UN programmes and funds, as well as tested by a deceptive economic recovery with lim- in the international financial institutions. With the ited impact on employment. It has also been tested 8/1 by new sovereign debt crises, which cannot over- its values and principles, and to those of you who shadow our priorities. These tests reinforce the cur- had the patience to listen to me this morning. rent importance of the Pact, and they confirm the Original French: solidity of its provisions. The Global Jobs Pact is as The PRESIDENT crucial today as it was a year ago. I think I am speaking on behalf of all members of Gender equality also deserved the attention of the the Governing Body at any rate, that it was a great Governing Body. We examined with great care the pleasure and great honour to work under your kind follow-up of the resolution concerning gender authority – and I say that advisedly because you do equality at the heart of decent work. We analysed have authority but it is always exercised with a and discussed the Action Plan for Gender Equality smile, along with your concern for efficiency. It is 2010–15, which is already under implementation. we who commend you and thank you for this year We have instructed the Office to introduce gender- spent under your guidance. sensitive language into the ILO Constitution. REPORTS OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE GOVERNING International labour standards constitute a corner- BODY AND OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL: stone of our Organization. The Governing Body has DISCUSSION worked to strengthen this pillar, including through the analysis of several specific cases that deserved Mr FUNES DE RIOJA (Employer, Argentina; speaking on its attention. For instance, we examined reports behalf of the Employers’ group) concerning the observance by the Government of Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 As the Executive Vice-President of the Interna- (No. 29), at both the November and the March tional Organisation of Employers, Employer Vice- meetings of the Governing Body. After listening to Chairperson of the Governing Body and Chairper- the members of the Governing Body and to the ILO son of the Employers‟ group of the International officer and personnel on the ground, my fellow Of- Labour Conference, it is my pleasure to respond to ficers and I drafted objective conclusions which the Report of the Director-General to the 99th Ses- reflected the discussions held in the plenary, and sion of the Conference. which will hopefully contribute to promoting, in a As we move from crisis to recovery, the role of results-oriented, transparent and constructive man- the private sector as the generator of employment ner, the values of ILO regarding the eradication of needs to be reinforced in the work of the ILO. forced labour. Without a private sector equipped with the right regulatory environment and confidence to invest, It is essential that we have an ILO that is better productive employment will lag behind economic equipped and more able to respond to the problems recovery. of the twenty-first century. The Governing Body has recognized the need to adapt itself to a changing Meeting the job challenge and returning to growth world. Over the last year, the Governing Body has is the number one priority today and it is a shared been able to advance in the improvement of its own challenge. It requires stable macroeconomic frame- mechanisms. It has also laid the groundwork for works; quality pro-competitive regulatory frame- deliberating on the functioning of the Conference. A works, including balanced labour laws; and an en- Working Party was established precisely to make trepreneurial climate that supports doing business. the functioning and the structures more efficient, Pro-employment policy frameworks need to in- more effective and closer to current social realities. clude the fundamentals of access to credit, the rule The work of this Working Party is currently in pro- of law and respect for property rights. gress, but it has already been fruitful. It has stimu- It needs to be supported by education and voca- lated governments to enhance their coordination and tional training programmes aligned to the full em- therefore strengthen tripartism. It has also contrib- ployment needs of business, particularly the small uted to the establishment of a more efficient and and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. transparent agenda-setting mechanism, which en- Entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged. ables our programme of work to benefit more di- SMEs are often seen as the pool from which fur- rectly from the contribution of our tripartite con- ther jobs will emerge, but for this to prove true, stituency.