GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) today welcomed the commitment of the G8 summit to support the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda as central to globalization with social progress.
The unprecedented prominence given by G8 leaders to the ILO role in stronger action to shape a fair globalization came as more than 3,000 government, worker and employer delegates met in Geneva for the ILO’s annual International Labour Conference.
The G8 stressed the equal importance of the four strategic goals of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda: creating decent and productive employment, promoting access to social protection systems, strengthening dialogue between the social partners and the respect for core labour standards. Core labour standards include the prohibition of child labour and forced labour, the elimination of discrimination at work and the right of unions to organize.
The final declaration of the summit in Heiligendamm includes a call on member States of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to promote the implementation of internationally recognized core labour standards in close cooperation with the ILO. Furthermore, the G8 commit themselves to include decent work and the respect of ILO core labour standards in their bilateral trade agreements, recalling that labour and social standards should not be used for protectionist purposes.
The Director of the ILO office in Germany, Wolfgang Heller, stressed the role of the German federal government in this respect: “We salute the personal engagement of Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel for a fair globalization and her recognition of the importance of the ILO’s balanced Decent Work Agenda. The Chancellor has emphasized several times that globalization, including the opening of markets to trade, should be based on common values as represented in the fundamental principles and rights at work defined by the ILO.”
In their common declaration on the issue of “growth and responsibility in Africa” the heads of State and government of the G8 also supported the extension of health care and health insurance in Africa. The ILO, which has long-standing experience in assisting member States to establish social security systems, also welcomes this measure and supports G8 donor countries in their corresponding efforts.
The G8 statement includes a call for ILO involvement in an international effort to “give more visibility and clarity” to relevant Corporate Social Responsibility Standards (CSR).