BEIJING (ILO News) – The Director-General of the International Labour Organization Juan Somavia today called on delegates at an ILO Asian Forum on Growth, Employment and Decent Work to forge policies aimed at creating a new paradigm “integrating sustainable development and decent work”.
In his address, Mr. Somavia told delegates from 20 countries attending the Forum “We meet at a moment when Asia is contributing to shaping a new world economy. Asia is moving in ways that are not only impressive, but unprecedented. You are exercising new forms of leadership in this truly Asian century.” In addition to the tripartite membership of the ILO, the meeting included representatives of finance and planning ministries, academics, and non-government organizations.
Mr. Somavia said that despite unprecedented economic growth, “we’re not seeing jobless growth, but job-weak growth. This is not politically sustainable over the long run because underlying it all are different forms of social tensions already expressing themselves in different ways.”
Saying he believed a “paradigm shift” was under way “for a sustainable development approach to growth”, he called for “sustainability as a development objective.”
The Forum also heard welcoming addresses from Hua Jianmin, Secretary-General, State Council of China and Tian Chengping, Minister of Labour and Social Security of China. Hua Jianmin listed policy measures taken by the government to promote employment, adding he hoped the Forum would serve as a “platform for expanding common ground, sharing best practices and enhancing cooperation in our common endeavour to ensure economic growth, employment creation and decent work.” Tian Chengping, in his address, said over the past few years China had “achieved remarkable progress in increasing employment and realizing decent work.” He pledged stepped up efforts to “give priority to the development of harmonious work relations and safeguard workers’ legal rights and interests in earnest so as to realize decent work.”
“There is no single Asian strategy,” Mr. Somavia said. “But there are commonalities… The time has come to strive for a social floor in every country according to its means, pursued as a systematic national and international development objective to expand the security of its people.”
“This requires an integrated strategy that can tap the energy and creativity so often present in informality. It can mean, for example, a basic income, health care and education package – together with organization, rights at work and empowerment to voice and defend their interests. Taken together, these measures can no doubt enhance growth and productivity. But they are also justified by the enormous growth in wealth creation that has been taking place.”
He also said economic sustainability in the region would involve contributing to a cleaner, greener future “that includes taking a closer look at the impact and potential of environmentally friendly green jobs. Addressing global climate change will require new patterns of production, consumption and employment.”
The opening day proceedings also included a round table discussion of “Visions for the Decent Work Decade: Growth and Jobs to 2015” that featured Mr. Ong Keng Yong, Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN); Dr. Arjun Sengupta, Chairman, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (India); Mr. Noryuki Suzuki, General Secretary ICFTU-APRO; Mr. Toshio Suzuki, Regional Vice President, International Organization of Employers; Mr. Sadakazu Tanigaki, Former Minister of Finance (Japan).
The Forum will address the broad challenges and opportunities inherent in the “Asian Decent Work Decade” adopted by ILO regional members last year and provide a platform for senior policy-makers and high-level representatives of workers and employers from Asia, to discuss the growth, employment and decent work scenarios up to 2015.