GENEVA (ILO News) - Heads of state and government and tripartite leaders from across the globe, addressing the 92nd International Labour Conference, today voiced strong political support for the conclusions of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization as a foundation for new, more coherent policies aimed at making globalization fair.
Speaking to the tripartite delegates at a special sitting of the annual conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) were President Tarja Halonen of Finland and President Benjamin W. Mkapa of Tanzania, the co-chairs of the World Commission which released its landmark study on globalization in February, and President Georgi Parvanov of Bulgaria and Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand.
Also addressing the Special Sitting of the Conference were ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, Employer Vice-Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body Daniel Funes de Rioja, and the Worker Vice-Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body Sir Roy Trotman.
President Halonen of Finland opened the discussion with a pledge to continue her efforts to raise the report's visibility internationally and particularly before world bodies such as the UN General Assembly, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and various regional bodies such as the European Union.
"We do not intend for the report to be just one more publication", she told the delegates. "We intend for it to be part of a process that will give globalization a human face."
President Halonen also noted the importance of human migration in the globalization process, and commended the ILO for taking up migration issues during the current International Labour Conference. "New kinds of cross border movement of people is especially important for developing countries", she said.
"My own country is currently preparing a national globalization strategy and I believe that there are other countries doing the same", she said. "Making globalization more human will take time. I hope that the work of our Commission can be part of this process. Achieving change requires a commitment for all of us. I trust that the International Labour Conference is ready to do its part to promote change."
In his address, President Benjamin W. Mkapa of the United Republic of Tanzania said "the world has given birth to the fire that globalization is" and called on protagonists from both sides of the globalization debate to "learn to work together to make sure we all embrace globalization profitably without getting burnt".
"Blind opponents of globalization are as unhelpful as blind proponents of globalization", he said. "If we all open our eyes, and become more objective, we will see manifold opportunities to expand the benefits of globalization and reduce its negative consequences."
For Africa, President Mkapa said, the World Commission report and its follow up was crucial to the economic future. He said the report was "in keeping with a warning from the New Partnership for African Development" (NEPAD) that "the continued marginalization of Africa from the globalization process and the social exclusion of the vast majority of its peoples constitute a serious threat to global stability". Mr. Mkapa added that the Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Alleviation scheduled for September 2004 in Ouagadougou would "establish an important political link in our economic agenda for development and poverty reduction as a way of building up an inclusive global economy".
President Mkapa also urged developed countries to consider cancelling the debts owed by developing countries, saying, "for the least developed countries, no amount of debt can be sustainable. Every cent that goes to service the debts we owe rich countries is a cent less from the resources we sorely need to work toward the Millennium Development Goals". In the same context, he also questioned the current system of world trade, saying that "the inequalities and the unfairness that seems in-built and embedded into the current system of global trade governance, notably in global trade" was driving developing countries to "desperation".
Mr. Mkapa expressed his strong support for the establishment of a Globalization Policy Forum among United Nations and other principal international organizations as one of the "necessary tasks ahead if we want to make globalization fairer."
In his address, President Parvanov of Bulgaria noted that his country had recently gone through the process of political transition to democracy as well as joining the global economy. It was therefore particularly important, he said, that "globalization must be have a social component, be based on universal values and benefit all countries without exception. We should not close our eyes to the world situation. Extremism finds fertile ground where there is no social justice."
"Whether trade wars or military conflicts, resorting to force is not a solution", Mr. Parvanov said, adding that international and regional cooperation were the key elements permitting all countries to participate in an active manner in the global economy and that the state should continue to have an active roll in ensuring "a stable macroeconomic environment, providing decent work and fighting against poverty."
In her address, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark noted "governments have a unique ability to develop strategies and bring a range of actors together to work for common goals".
"Securing our country's niche in the global economy in a way which builds high living standards for all is not a task which can be left to market forces", she said. "It requires clear and deliberate strategies both to grow the cake, and then ensure that it is fairly distributed."
Prime Minister Clark said her government had taken many steps "to ensure not only that in the age of globalization New Zealand has a strong and viable economy, but also that the results of that percolate down and are reflected in the quantity and quality of life of New Zealanders. But we also acknowledge the need for action at the international level to address the power imbalances identified in the World Commission's report".
Ms. Clark said that the World Commission report should be welcomed "for injecting a new sense of urgency into the debate about how to channel the forces of globalization in a more consistently positive direction" through such measures as Globalization Policy Forums.
"The seeds of a more peaceful world lie in addressing the most basic socio-economic issues", Ms. Clark said. "That task is well within the ILO's mandate, and I wish it well as it seeks to engage other parts of the multilateral system, formal and informal, nation state-based and civil society-based, in concerted action to ensure that globalization benefits the many and not just the few."
Mr. Funes de Rioja applauded the Commission for delivering a consensus viewpoint on globalization out of a broad range of diverse opinions and backgrounds.
"I believe that an opportunity now exists to move the debate to a different, more proactive and engaged level. I believe this opportunity should be seized", said Mr. Funes de Rioja. "The role of the private sector in promoting investment as a way to fight against exclusion is an important plank of the commission's recommendations. I strongly believe that if we are to try and capitalize and harness the private sector in development, then the role of the national employers' organizations is crucial."
In his comments, Sir Roy said "unless the worst pockets of poverty and deprivation are removed, there will never be any real peace or global prosperity. The Workers Group, within the ILO, believes we have gone well beyond the time for reciting what has been and we action and we need it now".
"Globalization has the high potential to bring real relief to the many as opposed to the few", Sir Roy said. "Let us give due recognition to countries which have handicaps of one kind or another and to prepare to give affirmative action in bringing them to a level where they can be truly competitive. And let us give international empowerment to the ILO because we have to make sure that there is a responsible body that has integrity able to oversee the standards which we all talk about and to ensure that we all are kept honest."
In concluding remarks, Mr. Somavia said the discussion had paved the way for further discussions of the World Commission's report, adding "its about the enormous opportunity we have before us if we don't become ideological. It's about incredible instruments that are there provided we are fair. And it's about the reality that we will not move forward unless we have the capacity for dialogue and the capacity to understand that everybody has a responsibility for a fair globalization to occur".