Berlin meeting
Ryder welcomes call for renewed efforts to spur global growth and employment
ILO Director-General underlines jobs for youth as a priority for international community, during a meeting with German Chancellor and the heads of other international organizations.
11 March 2015
BERLIN (ILO News) – The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, has welcomed a call by the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, and the Heads of International Organizations to strengthen actions to support the global economic recovery and ensure growth.
“The global economy continues to grow but we’re still miles away from pre-crisis levels, especially when it comes to global employment. Ambitious reforms are still needed to create more productive, more dynamic and more inclusive economies and societies,” said Ryder at the end of a meeting with Chancellor Merkel, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo.
The participants issued a joint statement describing the need to strengthen growth prospects as “a key priority” for the global economy. They also called for renewed efforts to increase global employment, with a special focus on youth employment.
Young workers aged 15-24 have been particularly hit by the crisis. According to the latest ILO data (World Employment and Social Outlook - January 2015), the global youth unemployment rate reached almost 13 per cent in 2014 and a further increase is expected in the coming years.
“Youth unemployment is a pending assignment for the international community. Young people are still three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Creating jobs for them is not only critical for economic growth and productivity. It is a moral argument and a fundamental matter of social justice,” said Ryder.
The participants also referred to the development of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda as a “unique opportunity to reinforce the commitment to end extreme poverty and hunger by 2030 and to build a sustainable development framework.”
The ILO is advocating for a sustainable development goal to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”
The meeting also highlighted the role of trade as an important driver of global growth, development and employment, the commitment to combat climate change and promote green growth, and the need to have a coordinated international crisis management system following the Ebola outbreak late last year in West Africa.
“The global economy continues to grow but we’re still miles away from pre-crisis levels, especially when it comes to global employment. Ambitious reforms are still needed to create more productive, more dynamic and more inclusive economies and societies,” said Ryder at the end of a meeting with Chancellor Merkel, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo.
The participants issued a joint statement describing the need to strengthen growth prospects as “a key priority” for the global economy. They also called for renewed efforts to increase global employment, with a special focus on youth employment.
Young workers aged 15-24 have been particularly hit by the crisis. According to the latest ILO data (World Employment and Social Outlook - January 2015), the global youth unemployment rate reached almost 13 per cent in 2014 and a further increase is expected in the coming years.
“Youth unemployment is a pending assignment for the international community. Young people are still three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. Creating jobs for them is not only critical for economic growth and productivity. It is a moral argument and a fundamental matter of social justice,” said Ryder.
The participants also referred to the development of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda as a “unique opportunity to reinforce the commitment to end extreme poverty and hunger by 2030 and to build a sustainable development framework.”
The ILO is advocating for a sustainable development goal to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”
The meeting also highlighted the role of trade as an important driver of global growth, development and employment, the commitment to combat climate change and promote green growth, and the need to have a coordinated international crisis management system following the Ebola outbreak late last year in West Africa.