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Tripartite Meeting on Promoting Fair Globalization
in Textiles and Clothing in a Post-MFA Environment
Geneva, 24-26 October 2005
Since 1 January 2005, with the termination of the Agreement on Textiles
and Clothing (ATC) and the phase-out of the Multifibre Agreement (MFA),
the textiles and clothing (TC) sector is experiencing a global revolution.
After 40 years of quota restrictions, the TC sector has been integrated
into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. This trade liberalization
is creating huge uncertainty among producing countries, workers and enterprises
worldwide.
Dealing in a socially responsible way with these new circumstances,
where international competition will be at its peak, requires the elaboration
and implementation of integrated strategies from global to local level,
which involve the national governments and social partners concerned.
The ILO is in a key position to examine, discuss and facilitate the process
in order to ensure a fair globalization in the TC sector.
The ILO therefore decided to convene a three-day tripartite meeting
to consider the impact of the end of the MFA. The purpose of the meeting
was to review the immediate social and economic impact of the end of
the MFA and the strategies that have been put in place or are being developed,
including the role of social dialogue in the process, with a view to
facilitating the elaboration of appropriate integrated strategies for
promoting fair globalization in the TC sector worldwide. The Office prepared
a report for discussion at the Meeting: Promoting
fair globalization in textiles and clothing in a post-MFA environment (pdf,
473k). The draft timetable of the meeting and details on the panel discussions
are also available online (pdf,
32k).
The Meeting drew many participants. High level representatives from
36 Governments, important delegations from the Workers' and Employers'
groups and the presence of major IGOs and sectoral NGOs reflected concerns
over the future of the industry, but also trust in the role of the ILO
to deal with the new "rules of the game" in a socially respected
manner. The Meeting marked the first time government, worker and employer
representatives had gathered to discuss the phase-out of the MFA and
propose measures for dealing with its impact on jobs, enterprises and
the global supply chain. A summary of the main issues dealt with in the
Meeting can be found in the Chairperson's Summary (pdf,
36k). The Note of the Proceedings (pdf,
271k) of the Meting is also available.
The Meeting agreed that the ILO had a leading role to play in the multilateral
response to adjustments in the industry. As was noted by the Chairperson
of the Meeting (Ambassador Jean Jacques Elmiger, Switzerland), "we
have a small but important window of opportunity for the development
and implementation of collaborative and sustainable strategies."
Recognizing this window of opportunity, the ILO was asked to provide
assistance and support to promote fair globalization in textiles and
clothing. The role assigned to the ILO covered a number of elements,
including:
- supporting a major drive to improve skill development for both workers
and managers, and to improve employability for workers
- providing technical assistance to developing and least developed
countries to facilitate the implementation of socially responsible
labour restriction programmes
- developing a global information and analysis service that could include
better and more up-to-date employment and other relevant information
and details on compliance with core international labour standards
- providing assistance in compliance and remediation to requesting
exporting countries ready to ratify and implement the Conventions under
the ILO Declaration
- establishing a global social responsibility forum for dialogue between
governments, employers' and workers' organizations in the producing
and buying links in the TC chain, relevant international agencies and
other relevant bodies
- supporting integrated strategies in developing countries that combine
the search for improved competitiveness and the promotion of decent
work, and more particularly the creation of national tripartite bodies
to monitor the social and economic dimensions of the post-MFA environment
- promoting a responsible supply chain based on partnerships that balance
social and commercial interests.
On this last point, the Meeting requested the ILO cooperate more actively
with the IGOs concerned and the multi-stakeholder initiatives dealing
the with the post-MFA environment. The Meeting particularly stressed
the need for the ILO to better collaborate with the MFA Forum, a multi-stakeholder
group that has been exploring ways to help countries adjust to and survive
the changes and impacts of the end of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.
Mr. Jean-Paul Sajhau,
Sectoral Activities Programme
International Labour Office,
4 route des Morillons,
CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 799 6467; Fax. +41 22 799 7967
e-mail: sajhau@ilo.org or e-mail: sector@ilo.org |
