Decent work

ILO welcomes new UNDP report that places decent work at the heart of sustainable development

Decent work and human development “mutually reinforcing”, says new analysis on improving quality of life.

Press release | 14 December 2015
ILO News – Geneva: The International Labour Organization (ILO) has congratulated the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the launch of their report “Rethinking Work for Human Development”, strongly supporting its conclusion that “the Decent Work Agenda and the human development framework are mutually reinforcing.”

The report provides a wealth of analysis that will be extremely helpful as the UN development system, including the ILO, step up their efforts to support the Member States to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder has said “the report highlights that pressing global challenges require that growth must be accompanied by policies and actions that also tackle unemployment, underemployment, inequality and the denial of voice and rights.”

He added that “the ILO will do its part to promote the policy suggestions contained in the Human Development Report 2015 and looks forward to engaging in its wide dissemination. The report will also provide an important input to the Future of Work Initiative that I have launched as the centrepiece of the ILO’s activities to mark its centenary in 2019.”

The report is the latest in a long-running series which focusses on development as enlarging people’s choices or the richness of human lives, rather than narrowly on the richness of economies. Starting from this standpoint, it offers a refreshing and timely commentary on how important decent work is to people and to the transformation of the development process towards sustainability.

The ILO provided technical support, information and statistics to the writing team of the 2015 Human Development report.