Social rights as a cornerstone of democratic resilience and inclusive development

BRUSSELS (ILO News) - Carlien van Empel, Director of the ILO Office for the European Union and the Benelux countries, underlined the urgent need to ground social policies in international labour standards to build inclusive and resilient societies at an event jointly organized by the Council of Europe and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), titled: “Social rights: Building social justice and democratic stability”.

In her intervention, she highlighted the ILO’s longstanding role in promoting social justice, rooted in the principles of the Philadelphia Declaration and reaffirmed in the Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work. She also welcomed the La Hulpe Declaration adopted under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which underlined the importance of anchoring EU social policy in international labour standards.

Ms van Empel stated that “social justice is a foundation for democratic stability, sustainable development, and inclusive growth” and that social dialogue is a “safeguard for democracy itself”.

She highlighted the ILO’s efforts to bridge policy and practice. The ILO has 770 programmes and projects achieving impacts in more than 140 countries. Through development cooperation and partnerships, the ILO provides technical assistance, facilitates social dialogue, and helps implement policies that produce tangible benefits.

Turning to global efforts, the Director pointed to the momentum generated by the Global Coalition for Social Justice, a platform launched in 2023 and now encompassing over 360 partners. The Coalition is preparing to launch 14 key initiatives in 2025 at its Annual Forum in Geneva on 12 June.

As the international community prepares for the UN Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025, she underscored that this is a “critical opportunity to reaffirm the centrality of human rights in global development”.

The Global Coalition for Social Justice is well positioned to support the implementation of the Summit’s outcomes, which align directly with the ILO’s social justice agenda.

In particular, the pillars of the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development are aligned with the Global Coalition’s agenda on poverty eradication, decent work, and social inclusion.

The event brought together policymakers, civil society, and international organizations to strengthen synergies between frameworks such as the European Social Charter, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the SDGs.

It also served as a clear moment to underscore the significance of basing a renewed social contract on decent job creation and universal social protection, gender equality and youth inclusion, just transitions in the green and digital economies, and a steadfast commitment to human rights and inclusive growth.

The ILO highlighted its close partnership with the EU in the promotion of social rights and inclusive development.