GENEVA - The Governing Body's Working Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization discussed proposals for the ILO follow-up to the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, released in February 2004. In his conclusions, Mr. Philippe Séguin, Chairman of the Governing Body, said the Working Party had reached a "clear and strong consensus" on the promotion of decent work as a global goal as the ILO's distinctive contribution to a fair globalization.
In an address to the Working Party, special guest Vladimír Špidla, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, underlined the key role of the ILO in promoting international policy dialogues and the establishment of policy coherence partnerships in the multilateral system. He also noted the growing convergence of agendas between the European Union and the ILO, and said that the promotion of decent work as a global goal, as well as concern and action over the social dimension of globalization, had become an integral part of the EU's strategy both within the enlarged union and in its relations with the rest of the world.
In his own comments to the Working Party, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said the ILO's contribution to a fully inclusive and equitable globalization was grounded in the Decent Work Agenda, adding, that to put this into practice, the Organization needed to work with other multilateral organizations. In this respect, he highlighted the adoption of a resolution on the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization by the UN General Assembly last year.
"We are more effective when working in partnership with others who share our views", Mr. Somavia said. "But on many key subjects, there are widely differing views out there, and if we want solutions that will stick, it is necessary to bring those different views into dialogue. Building those bridges is our strength in the tripartite ILO."
The Working Party agreed that the ILO should strengthen its partnerships with the other multilateral agencies to develop more coherent policies, particularly the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other actors within the respective mandates of each institution, and called for the preparation of a paper on the linkages between growth, investment and decent work to be presented to the Governing Body in November.
Regarding the forced labour situation in Myanmar, the Governing Body discussed reports prepared by the ILO liaison officer in Yangon and very High-Level Team (vHLT) appointed by the Director-General of the ILO which visited Myanmar from 21 to 23 February. The mission comprised Sir Ninian Stephen, former Governor General of Australia, Ms. Ruth Dreifuss, former President of the Swiss Confederation and Mr. Eui-yong Chung, former Chairman of the Governing Body of the ILO and member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
The consensus conclusions adopted at the end of the discussions noted that many delegates shared a sense of "condemnation over the failure of the highest-level authorities of Myanmar to take advantage of the unique opportunity that the visit of the vHLT represented to resume a credible dialogue on the issues of concern, and also the feelings of grave concern over the general situation that this reveals". While noting that some developments in Myanmar "seem to a number of us to go in the right direction, in particular the prosecutions and punishment of authorities responsible for having recourse to forced labour", they noted that "the overall assessment falls far short of our expectations".
Although the Government of Myanmar stated that the political will to address forced labour existed, the Governing Body expressed grave doubts about the credibility of these statements due to the attitude adopted by the authorities towards the vHLT and recent comments by Government officials reported in the press.
The Governing Body noted that in the circumstances and at this stage it was widely felt that the "wait-and-see" attitude which has prevailed since 2001 can no longer continue. It unanimously decided to transmit its consensus conclusions to the Governments, Employers and Workers representatives, as well as other international organizations, with a view to them taking the appropriate action in the framework of the 2000 resolution. The resolution adopted in 2000 under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution calls on ILO constituents and other agencies to review their relations with Myanmar and take action that they may consider appropriate.
However, the Governing Body insisted that the door was still open for the positive developments that had been requested, and that any such developments should be objectively taken into account as part of any review of relations with Myanmar. A document reflecting any developments will be presented to the Committee on the Application of Standards of the International Labour Conference in June.
Regarding recent developments in Nepal, the Governing Body issued a statement saying "trade union activities have been severely limited, with any union meetings requiring prior authorization from public officials, which is contrary to fundamental ILO standards".
In February, the ILO Director-General wrote to His Majesty King Gyendra, expressing strong concern about the suspension of civil and trade union rights, especially the fact that a number of trade unionists have been detained.
The Governing Body also recommended a provisional programme and budget level of US$ 568.6 million for the 2006-07 biennium, estimated at the 2004-05 budget rate of exchange of 1.34 Swiss francs to the US dollar. In constant dollars, the 2006-07 budget proposes moderate growth of 1.1 per cent to address institutional investment needs and extraordinary items.
The final exchange rate and the US dollar level of the budget and the Swiss franc assessment will be determined by the International Labour Conference in June 2005.
Building blocks of the new programme and budget are their focus on decent work as a global goal and the interrelated actions needed at the local, national, regional and international levels to make it happen, including Decent Work Country Programmes.
The programme reinforces and deepens the four strategic objectives of the ILO: promoting standards and fundamental principles and rights at work, creating greater opportunities for women and men to secure decent employment and income, enhancing the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all, and strengthening tripartism and social dialogue. It also proposes initiatives on decent work for youth, corporate social responsibility, export processing zones, and the informal economy.
Note 1: The Governing Body is the executive body of the International Labour Office (the Office is the secretariat of the Organization). It meets three times a year, in March, June and November and takes decisions on ILO policy, the agenda of the International Labour Conference and the draft Programme and Budget of the Organization for submission to the Conference.
It is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers). Ten of the titular government seats are permanently held by States of Chief Industrial Importance (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States). The other Government members, and the worker and employer members, are elected by the Conference every three years.