Human rights are labour rights; it is our duty to protect and support them if we are to achieve the goal of social justice
Opening remarks at the event marking International Human Rights Day 2023 by Satoshi Sasaki, Deputy Director, ILO DWT/CO-New Delhi
13 December 2023
It’s my pleasure to welcome you all today to this event, as we observe International Human Rights Day. With the current geopolitical events, it’s critical for us to recognise the value of each human life and their human rights upheld by virtue of national and international laws. It was after the Second World War, the world began to articulate universal human rights, and in 1948, for the first time, a comprehensive list of inalienable human rights was agreed upon by all nations. That December, 75 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its objective was to ensure that all people could live free and equal in dignity and rights.
The Declaration has become a milestone that profoundly influences international human rights law and has paved the way for more than 70 human rights treaties, and had an enormous impact on national laws and policies. That same year the ILO’s members adopted Convention No. 87 , to protect the freedom of association and the right to organize, safeguarding the rights of workers and employers to choose how, and by whom, they are represented.
So, this year, we also celebrate the 75th anniversary of this important ILO fundamental Convention. Freedom of association and collective bargaining are fundamental rights of universal scope that should apply to all workers, therefore also implying the right to exercise those freedoms. Since its inception in 1919, the ILO has promoted social justice through its international labour standards, which have sought to set forth the aspirations, values and rights that were eventually expressed in the United Nations Charter and proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
International labour standards have become the touchstone for law and actions by governments, employers, workers, and everyone actively engaged with human rights at work. Freedom of association and collective bargaining are enshrined in the ILO Constitution, ILO Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 and among the ILO’s fundamental principles. The right to organize and form employers' and workers' organizations is the prerequisite for sound collective bargaining and social dialogue. Through the course of history, freedom of association is itself founded on the right of free speech, assembly and organization. And through history, we have seen these collective rights throttled before and after industrialization.
Without the right to associate, the prospects of achieving social justice are low. Trade unions have been threaded into India’s social fabric since its freedom struggle, as early as 1855, when a social reformer led a movement in Bombay for legislative measures to improve the working conditions of workers in factories, It is said to have been the genesis of India’s labour movement. The formation of the Madras Labour Union in 1918 is a testament to India championing the Freedom of Association since even before it became a democracy. In its Constitution, India also recognizes the protection of freedom of speech and expression, to assembly peacefully and without arms, and to form associations or unions, all in congruence with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nowhere more than in the world of work – the sphere of human activity driving social and economic progress – must human rights be protected by the rule of law, including international labour standards, if “freedom from fear and want” is to be realized as “the highest aspiration of the common people”.
The international labour standards give expression to human rights in the civil and political sphere such as the right to equality and protection from discrimination, the right to freedom of servitude, slavery and forced labour and the right to freedom of association. This year, we also thank the ILO supervisory body – Committee on Freedom of Association – for 70 years of exceptional work dedicated to promoting and upholding respect for freedom of association worldwide, serving as a benchmark for all ILO Member States in their pursuit of social justice. Committee on Freedom of Association has played an important role in the development of national legislation, impacted the resolution of specific cases and responded to persistent challenges, including issues surrounding organizing the informal economy and the gender dimension of freedom of association.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development builds on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It envisages a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality, and non-discrimination; of respect for diversity; and of equal opportunity permitting the full realisation of human potential and contributing to shared prosperity.
Labour rights are part of human rights, and integrating human rights and international labour standards into economic and legal policy frameworks is critical to reducing inequalities and creating an environment conducive to more equitable and inclusive economic development to uphold the 2030 Agenda’s pledge to leave no one behind. Yet, there remains a chasm between the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda and the current state of the world. We see serious challenges in terms of development and Economy.
While global wealth has never been greater, the benefits of economic growth and development are unevenly distributed around the world, within and among countries. The world is still feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with several million now considered to be multidimensionally poor due to the crisis. Earlier this year, in the Joint statement by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies Chairpersons, the representatives of nine bodies, noting these and other challenges, underscored that human rights and international labour standards provide the guardrails to navigate these crises and called upon all stakeholders without exception to join efforts to fully respect, defend, fulfil and promote all human rights.
On 10 December 2023, the ILO Director General Gilbert F Houngbo called for intensified efforts to promote and protect these rights and collectively strive for a future grounded in human dignity, freedom, and social justice. He said “These human rights were hard-won. And they remain essential for peace and social justice. We all have a duty to protect and support them - especially in times of conflict and insecurity. At the ILO, we pledge to redouble our efforts to promote these rights and so support a future based on human dignity, freedom and social justice for all.” So, we call for the same.
Thank you for your kind attention.
The Declaration has become a milestone that profoundly influences international human rights law and has paved the way for more than 70 human rights treaties, and had an enormous impact on national laws and policies. That same year the ILO’s members adopted Convention No. 87 , to protect the freedom of association and the right to organize, safeguarding the rights of workers and employers to choose how, and by whom, they are represented.
So, this year, we also celebrate the 75th anniversary of this important ILO fundamental Convention. Freedom of association and collective bargaining are fundamental rights of universal scope that should apply to all workers, therefore also implying the right to exercise those freedoms. Since its inception in 1919, the ILO has promoted social justice through its international labour standards, which have sought to set forth the aspirations, values and rights that were eventually expressed in the United Nations Charter and proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
International labour standards have become the touchstone for law and actions by governments, employers, workers, and everyone actively engaged with human rights at work. Freedom of association and collective bargaining are enshrined in the ILO Constitution, ILO Declaration of Philadelphia of 1944 and among the ILO’s fundamental principles. The right to organize and form employers' and workers' organizations is the prerequisite for sound collective bargaining and social dialogue. Through the course of history, freedom of association is itself founded on the right of free speech, assembly and organization. And through history, we have seen these collective rights throttled before and after industrialization.
Without the right to associate, the prospects of achieving social justice are low. Trade unions have been threaded into India’s social fabric since its freedom struggle, as early as 1855, when a social reformer led a movement in Bombay for legislative measures to improve the working conditions of workers in factories, It is said to have been the genesis of India’s labour movement. The formation of the Madras Labour Union in 1918 is a testament to India championing the Freedom of Association since even before it became a democracy. In its Constitution, India also recognizes the protection of freedom of speech and expression, to assembly peacefully and without arms, and to form associations or unions, all in congruence with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nowhere more than in the world of work – the sphere of human activity driving social and economic progress – must human rights be protected by the rule of law, including international labour standards, if “freedom from fear and want” is to be realized as “the highest aspiration of the common people”.
The international labour standards give expression to human rights in the civil and political sphere such as the right to equality and protection from discrimination, the right to freedom of servitude, slavery and forced labour and the right to freedom of association. This year, we also thank the ILO supervisory body – Committee on Freedom of Association – for 70 years of exceptional work dedicated to promoting and upholding respect for freedom of association worldwide, serving as a benchmark for all ILO Member States in their pursuit of social justice. Committee on Freedom of Association has played an important role in the development of national legislation, impacted the resolution of specific cases and responded to persistent challenges, including issues surrounding organizing the informal economy and the gender dimension of freedom of association.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development builds on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It envisages a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity, the rule of law, justice, equality, and non-discrimination; of respect for diversity; and of equal opportunity permitting the full realisation of human potential and contributing to shared prosperity.
Labour rights are part of human rights, and integrating human rights and international labour standards into economic and legal policy frameworks is critical to reducing inequalities and creating an environment conducive to more equitable and inclusive economic development to uphold the 2030 Agenda’s pledge to leave no one behind. Yet, there remains a chasm between the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda and the current state of the world. We see serious challenges in terms of development and Economy.
While global wealth has never been greater, the benefits of economic growth and development are unevenly distributed around the world, within and among countries. The world is still feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with several million now considered to be multidimensionally poor due to the crisis. Earlier this year, in the Joint statement by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies Chairpersons, the representatives of nine bodies, noting these and other challenges, underscored that human rights and international labour standards provide the guardrails to navigate these crises and called upon all stakeholders without exception to join efforts to fully respect, defend, fulfil and promote all human rights.
On 10 December 2023, the ILO Director General Gilbert F Houngbo called for intensified efforts to promote and protect these rights and collectively strive for a future grounded in human dignity, freedom, and social justice. He said “These human rights were hard-won. And they remain essential for peace and social justice. We all have a duty to protect and support them - especially in times of conflict and insecurity. At the ILO, we pledge to redouble our efforts to promote these rights and so support a future based on human dignity, freedom and social justice for all.” So, we call for the same.
Thank you for your kind attention.