UN: Decent and productive work critical to achieve sustainable development

The fourth session of the UN General Assembly’s Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals came to a close on Wednesday, 19 June, following three days of discussion focused on employment and decent work for all and social protection, as well as health, education, youth and population dynamics.

The critical role of decent work creation to reduce poverty, enhance social cohesion and promote inclusive growth was highlighted by most members of the OWG, and there was widespread support for a standalone goal on full and productive employment and decent work for all.

ILO Deputy Director-General, Greg Vines, delivered the keynote address.

ILO Deputy Director-General, Greg Vines, was on hand to deliver a keynote address, and called upon members to recognize the promotion of decent work as an essential component of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the sustainable development agenda.

“Full and productive employment and decent work for all is vital to poverty alleviation and to cohesive, and thus sustainable, societies,” Vines said.“Managed well, transitions to environmentally and socially sustainable economies can become a driver of job creation, job upgrading, social justice and poverty eradication.”

Many countries emphasized the cross-cutting nature of social protection and some called for targets related to the expansion of basic benefits and essential services in the form of social protection floors.

The session also discussed the role of education in the Post-2015 Agenda and emphasized the need to invest in human capital and skills development linked to labour market needs, quality technical and vocational training, as well as life-long learning.

In his closing remarks, the co-chair of the OWG, Ambassador Macharia Kamau (Kenya) recalled that enterprises and entrepreneurs are the core drivers of job creation and said that appropriate enabling conditions for the private sector should be in place. He also mentioned that youth concerns need to be “reflected across goals, especially in relation to education, health and employment.” The Ambassador also referred to the benefits and challenges of migration related to skills portability and the social integration of migrants.

Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, Director-General, Department of Environment and Special Affairs, Brazil

The ILO, in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Brazil, France and Indonesia to the UN, organized a side event to showcase country experiences and discuss recommendations on how to address the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development through decent work policies.




During the panel discussion, Stephen Pursey, Director of Multilateral Cooperation at the ILO, presented the conclusions of the 102nd International Labour Conference on the topic "Sustainable Development, Decent Work and Green Jobs". 

“There are planetary limits to the way in which we grow,” said Pursey. “To ensure a just transition to sustainable development, it will be necessary to build a strong social consensus—one based in a strong sense of rights and, particularly, of rights at work.”