International Labour Conference Provisional Record 20 Ninety-sixth Session, Geneva, 2007

Fifteenth (special) sitting Wednesday, 13 June 2007, 11.30 a.m. President: Mr. Sulka

Another shared objective concerns young people. ADDRESS BY HIS ROYAL , FELIPE DE Last year a major programme was approved to pro- BORBÓN, OF mote youth employment in Latin America. The pro- gramme is to be financed by the Government of The PRESIDENT and a group of Spanish enterprizes, coordi- The fifteenth (special) sitting of the International nated by the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Labour Conference is called to order. Organizations, whose outgoing President, José I give the floor to the Secretary-General of the María Cuevas, a great friend of ours, is here today. Conference to welcome His , Felipe And we continue to work under the agreement be- de Borbón, . tween the ILO and the UNDP with support from the Original Spanish: The SECRETARY-GENERAL Kingdom of Spain. For the International Labour Organization, it is a With all the visits of the to great honour today to welcome His Royal Highness, our Organization, it has always been clear to us that the Prince of Asturias. The relations between our we share common values and objectives. Your Organization and the Spanish Royal House have Highness said at the end of the International Year of been very close since the birth of the ILO. Spain Volunteers that, in the face of materialism and was a founding Member during the reign of the competition, it is essential to move towards ethical Prince’s great-grandfather, King Alfonso XIII. commitment, respect for “otherness” and a personal On 21 June 1979, on the occasion of the celebra- relationship with the values of the spirit as the basis tion of the 60th anniversary of the ILO, a young on which we must build the fairer, more egalitarian King of Spain addressed the International Labour and peaceful future that we all wish to see. Conference. He faced the enormous challenge of The transition which took place in Spain, and in ensuring Spain’s peaceful transition to democracy which the ILO had a part, has meant defending and modernity. King told us that day these shared values, and the Spanish people have that experience had shown the truth of the statement showed an invaluable capacity for meeting the contained in our Constitution, that “universal and many challenges that have arisen out of the global- lasting peace can be established only if it is based ized society. One of the greatest challenges is to on social justice”. Twenty-six years later, with a achieve a fairer and more balanced globalization Spain that is now flourishing, developed, living in with economic growth and employment for all. peace and fully democratic, their Majesties the King Spain is an example. Through a commitment to and Queen of Spain came again to visit us to cele- social dialogue, your country has dramatically low- brate the tenth anniversary of the participation of ered unemployment and combined competitiveness Spain as a member of the International Programme with social cohesion. You yourself said that this is on the Elimination of Child Labour. Today, the not the result of improvization or chance. It is the close relationship between the Spanish and result of admirable work that has been done with a the ILO continues, and we have the honour of re- determined and sustained willingness to live peace- ceiving His Royal Highness, the Prince of Asturias. fully together. Three years ago Prime Minister Zapatero, who Your Highness, you are a man who is committed had recently taken up his office, brought us his mes- to social values, not just in Spain but throughout the sage of support. We were the first of the United Na- world. As the honorary president of the CODESPA tions organizations that he visited. Foundation, you are actively helping to create em- Your Highness, your presence here today con- ployment and access to education and enterprise. firms the continuity of this close relationship be- Every year, you give the Prince of Asturias awards, tween the Kingdom of Spain and the ILO. All the with special emphasis on the social impact of de- values and objectives that we share with Spain are velopment activities. When, in 2003, you decided to reflected in the programme of technical cooperation honour Gustavo Gutiérrez, the Peruvian theologian, between Spain and the ILO, a programme which you spoke of his work as an effort to defend the has expanded continuously over the last few years weakest and to tell their story. As you said at the and is now the ILO’s fifth largest contributor of ex- time, someone has to speak for the poor. tra-budgetary funds. This has had an enormous im- You have supported the cause of indigenous peo- pact on reducing child labour in Latin America and ples in Latin America, giving recognition to bodies the Caribbean, from 16.1 per cent to 5 per cent in defending them by awarding the Bartolomé de las very few years. Casas Prize. We must not forget the programme of

20/1 scholarships for young Ibero-Americans through the Constitution. Built on this unique foundation, tripar- Carolina Foundation, and the support for pro- tite social dialogue between workers, employers and grammes to help the disabled. governments has always been not only a successful In all this, as in many other activities, you have working method but also a clear expression of those shown a strong concern for human dignity and soli- values and principles which can promote under- darity as values of central importance in your objec- standing and solidarity in national societies and be- tives and activities. tween the peoples of the world. May I say that the ILO, the Kingdom of Spain and Thus the ILO has been able to mobilize efforts you yourself, all speak the same language: the lan- and garner enormous experience, leading to success guage of values, the language according to which in a wide range of areas from the defence of work- decent work is the source of personal dignity, fam- ers’ rights, the improvement of working conditions ily stability and peace in the community, the lan- or the promotion of social protection to the devel- guage which states that a community that works is a opment of freedom of association and the promo- community at peace, a source of credibility, of de- tion of international legality. mocratic institutions, and the clearest way out of Personally, because of my frequent contacts with exclusion and poverty. unions and employers’ organizations in Spain, I May I once again welcome you most warmly to have been able to understand, and gauge the com- this house, which is your house. We receive you as plexity, the scope and the tremendous value of the a friend in the pursuit of these shared values. I con- work or the ILO for social justice and solidarity. clude by recalling what you have said on previous Allow me also to emphasize the decisive contribu- occasions: that we must have an audacious trust in tion made by trade unions and employers’ organiza- liberty, and humanity needs utopia so as not to give tions to democracy in Spain and to the country’s in to things as they are. economic and social well-being. The PRESIDENT Since its inception in 1919, this Organization has shown that it is capable of successfully meeting the It is now my honour to invite His Royal Highness challenges of a changing world of work with a re- to take the floor. sponse that is in the interest of human beings, their Original Spanish: HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS FELIPE DE freedom, dignity, rights and well-being, in recogni- BORBON, PRINCE OF ASTURIAS tion of which it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to have The International Labour Conference is currently this opportunity to address a forum of such unique meeting at a crucial moment, when the need has relevance as a plenary of the 96th Session of the made itself felt to give a social dimension or a hu- International Labour Conference. man face to the major changes in the global econ- I would like to take this opportunity to thank the omy, which have been under way for a number of Director-General, Mr. Juan Somavia, for his kind years, but are still constantly accelerating. This hu- invitation and his generous words of welcome. man dimension of the work of the ILO is reflected Addressing this Conference today, I cannot fail to in the full attention it gives to human beings in each recall, as the Director-General has already done, phase of the life cycle – from infancy to old age, with a great deal of emotion that it was in 1919, from child labour to the protection of the social en- during the reign of my great-grandfather His Maj- titlements of the elderly. esty King Alfonso XIII, that Spain became a found- Yesterday we commemorated the World Day ing Member of this Organization. Sixty years later against Child Labour, which focused on agriculture: my father, already King of Spain at the time, ad- though not the only sector in which there is child dressed this Conference for the first time to praise labour, it is the one where most children work. As the untiring endeavours of this Organization as it the ILO has pointed out, when children work long strived to bring some humanity into the interna- hours in the fields, their ability to attend school, or tional system. skills training is limited, preventing them from re- Therefore, I would like my first words to you to- ceiving an education that could help lift them out of day on my first visit to headquarters of the ILO to poverty. Child Labour, which the ILO is contribut- be an expression of my admiration and gratitude for ing to reduce, is a scourge and an injustice, which the incontestable success achieved through the co- robs people of a future and prevents social progress. lossal efforts of this Organization since inception. The answer lies in eliminating poverty, which is not Its success has been obvious and real, because it has only the origin but also one of the worse conse- improved the living and working conditions of mil- quences of child labour, through a vicious circle in lions of men and women in many countries with which people become trapped at an early age, so different levels of development and diverse national crucial for their physical, mental and emotional de- cultures. velopment, and at a time when they need to obtain Spain has spared no effort to actively support the training and education that will open up opportuni- universal approach, the shared endeavour and the ties for a better life for themselves, their families ultimate objective of the ILO, which is to achieve and their communities. social justice for all. This is a situation which His Majesty the King of The ILO – the oldest of the United Nations spe- Spain mentioned here two years ago, as the Direc- cialized agencies, and the only one with a tripartite tor-General has just recalled, at the special sitting structure in the multilateral system – was born of commemorating the tenth anniversary of our par- the conviction of its founders that it was necessary ticipation in the International Programme for the to promote social justice in order to achieve lasting Elimination of Child Labour. On that occasion, he and universal peace. Impelled by this noble objec- pointed out what is at stake in the elimination of tive, this Organization has been able to draw inspi- child labour is children’s future integrity and well- ration from universal values and principles based on being, and hence the future of society as a whole. human dignity, embodied in the preamble to its Allow me to quote someone else from much longer ago: more than 400 years ago, Miguel de

20/2 Cervantes wrote in Don Quixote that, in order to Governing Body and in this important forum, the win the support of the people you must defeat hun- International Labour Conference. Its tripartite struc- ger and deprivation, for there is nothing that wearies ture is the hallmark of this Organization, and is the the heart and the dignity of man more. Thus, the best and most useful weapon for confronting the complete elimination of child labour is a key objec- challenges of this changing world. Consensus, so- tive of the international community, and one which cial dialogue and decent work are the best ways in Spain shares and supports fully, through the neces- which this Organization can achieve social justice sary financial and technical assistance. As a Mem- in the world, an objective which was enshrined in ber of the ILO and of its Governing Body, Spain the Organization’s Constitution in 1919. This con- will continue to provide its assistance to ensure that viction has led Spain to participate in the ILO’s ini- schooling replaces child labour. tiatives to expand the influence of social partners, We must attack the roots of the problem, tapping social dialogue and tripartism, building the capaci- the potential of economic globalization for devel- ties of trade unions, employers’ organizations and opment in order to transform the social environment governments. that sends children to work. That same priority which the ILO gives to em- As they grow up, young people find it difficult to ployment, duly regulated by international labour obtain jobs, particularly in developing countries, standards which you approve, is now prompting it where more than half of the population is under 25. to turning its attention to the last phase of human By dint of repeating that youth are the future of hu- life, which includes retirement and old age. The mankind, we can easily overlook the fact that they ILO’s social security standards are also intended to are also our present. protect and make provisions for this period of life. We are aware that the commitment undertaken at With progressive increases in life expectancy, the the Economic and Social Council in 2006 was a number of dependent individuals has also increased response to the urgent need to create opportunities in recent years. We need to ensure that this sector of for decent and productive employment for youth the population enjoys the necessary social protec- throughout the world. This is a commitment which tion and proper respect for their rights. To this end, reaffirms the United Nations Millennium Develop- the Spanish Parliament has recently adopted a law ment Goals. Reducing extreme poverty by half be- to promote personal autonomy, which makes spe- fore 2015, as the Millennium Development Goals cific provisions for elderly people with reduced set out to do, means giving confidence, hope and physical or mental capacities aiming to safeguard the necessary resources to those who are setting out the autonomy of more than 1 million Spaniards liv- on working life and aspire to progress. ing in a state of dependency. We must not forget that it is women, and particu- The International Labour Conference is an ideal larly young women, who are hit hardest by unem- forum for exchanging national experiences and tak- ployment, as was recently reflected in the ILO re- ing on board what we may in order to extend social port on global employment trends for women, pub- progress to all. The particular historic, political, so- lished in 2007. At least 60 per cent of the world’s cial, economic, cultural and emotional relationship working poor are women. They need economic in- between Spain and the countries of Latin America dependence and a better quality of life through de- enables us to share our experiences and efforts with cent work, which means non-discriminatory work. them as members of the Ibero-American Commu- In this regard, the Spanish Parliament has just nity of Nations. We have succeeded in signing la- adopted an Act on effective equality between men bour and social agreements at our annual summits, and women, providing for specific labour and social and these agreements could be transferred to other protection measures which are the outcome of a multilateral international forums, such as the Inter- process of social dialogue. national Labour Conference. Many of the proposals The ILO’s programmes for creating decent work which we are working on and promoting within the are an excellent instrument which responds in the Ibero-American conference community could be best way possible to current needs in the world of applied to other regions of the world, e.g. our initia- work. I am convinced that decent work is the best tive to ensure mutual recognition of social security way to put an end to underdevelopment, exclusion entitlements in the countries of the Ibero-American and marginalization. Finding equitable work for area on the basis of contributions paid in any of everybody of working age is not a utopian concept. these countries. Far from it, it is a genuine possibility, if we are able The countries of the Magheb region, and indeed to take opportunities which globalization offers us all of the countries of Africa, are also of great im- and turn them into real benefits for everybody. portance for Spain. Spain’s Africa Plan 2006-2008 Spain reaffirms it commitment to paragraph 47 of points out that the twenty-first century has opened the final document of the 2005 UN World Summit. up a period of progressive democratic consolidation This document, which Spain signed, promotes fair for Africa, and provided opportunities for resolving globalization and states that the objectives of full long-standing conflicts in the region. The recent and productive employment and decent work for all, 11th African Regional Meeting of the ILO, which particularly for women and young people, will form took place in Addis Ababa, revealed concerns but “a central objective of our relevant national and in- also possible solutions, such as those provided for ternational policies as well as our national devel- in the programme on Strategies and Tools against opment strategies, including poverty reduction Social Exclusion and Poverty (STEP). Against this strategies, as part of our efforts to achieve the Mil- background, nobody should be excluded from the lennium Development Goals”. As the then Secre- opportunities and benefits of our international envi- tary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, ronment. I also believe that the vibrant situation is said, “The best anti-poverty programme is employ- Asia at the moment, particularly the experience of ment and social well-being lies in decent work.” emerging countries there, has shown us that private The changes that the world of work is seeing at enterprise initiatives, if supported by a sufficiently the moment are being discussed here by you in the skilled workforce and appropriate policies, can

20/3 overcome many different challenges, including International Labour Conference, has made since its problems resulting from adverse natural and geo- creation to give men and women a fairer future, graphic circumstances. based on solidarity. I would like once again to ex- I have referred in my speech to some of the prob- press my gratitude for your kind attention and for lems which the world suffers today, problems of the invitation of the Director-General, which has unemployment, poverty and marginalization. In so given me the opportunity to speak to you here in the doing I have tried to emphasize that, by pooling our International Labour Conference. efforts, we can contribute to finding a solution. You can rely on Spain for its support. You may be sure (Applause.) that only by continuing to work together can we The PRESIDENT eliminate what remains of child labour and forced labour and thus benefit humankind as a whole. You Very many thanks, Your Royal Highness, for may also be certain that, if we all commit ourselves those words of support for the International Labour to decent work, we will make the best possible con- Organization. tribution to eradicating poverty and defending hu- Although it faces certain challenges, the economy man dignity. In this context, economic growth of your country is growing and, more importantly, it reaches its full potential when we bind it inextrica- is creating jobs. The fact that social dialogue func- bly with social well-being, guided by the principle tions so well in Spain shows how closely the coun- of solidarity and stimulated though social dialogue. try is bound to the values of the ILO and, moreover, Let me close by urging you to work ever more demonstrates how the social partners may have their closely together on the basis of the principles we part to play in promoting good governance. have followed since the ILO was founded, in order On behalf of my fellow Officers, all those present to promote the economic and social progress of all at the Conference, I should like to express profound the peoples of the world. This is something which is gratitude to Your Royal Highness for coming to well worth our efforts. I would like to express my address us here today. Thank you very much. gratitude and recognition for the efforts, initiatives (The Conference adjourned at 12.05 p.m.) and achievements which the ILO, in particular the

20/4

CONTENTS

Page

Fifteenth (special) sitting

Address by His Royal Highness, Felipe de Borbón, Prince of Asturias ...... 1 Speakers: The President, The Secretary-General of the Conference, His Royal Highness Felipe de Borbón

No. 20 – Thursday, 14 June 2007