“We know that it's time for a policy rethink,” according to ILO's Director-General, Juan Somavia, speaking to over 5,000 delegates at the 101st International Labour Conference . Since 2008 recession plunge, around 30 million people have been added to the unemployed and nearly 40 million more have stopped looking for employment. (Read Blog for Film: "Austerity is Killing Jobs & Economic Health"). Mr. Somavia highlighted, in particular, the impact of the crisis on the world's young people, noting that “we have been failing our young women and men for some time now.”
Youth Unemployment:
“Generally, youth jobless rates are nearly three times that of adults. This is without the many millions worldwide who have become discouraged and stopped looking for work. Furthermore, those who do get a job are likely to be working part time, on temporary contracts, in the informal economy, or precarious work. There is little intergenerational solidarity when the adult generation who formulates policy, lets the young generation carry a heavy share of the burden of the crises.”Read our Blog for Film -"Europe Failing its Youth"
To involve youth in the ILO conference discussions, the agency held 46 consultations with some 5,000 youth representatives across regions, culminating in the World Youth Forum held last week in Geneva, ahead of the conference. (See our Film for Blog: "Youth Jobs Forum"). “This is innovation at work. The several thousands who assembled in these forums and online are the beginnings of an ILO youth network to connect us with the ideas and needs of young women and men.”
Establishing a Credible Safety Net & for All Global Citizens:
“Establishing social protection floors, respecting the diversity of country situations, is about promoting human dignity. It is a basic contribution to reduce poverty, to empower people and to expand aggregate economic demand. It is a commitment to a decent society, a platform that enables hundreds of millions of women, men and children to progress on a strong footing.”
Right to Work?
A “weak and fragile” global recovery further increases the importance of the evolving principle of "right to work. Mr. Somavia spoke of "universally accepted rules of the game." However, defining such rules is now at the center of the agenda. Mr. Somavia offered: “I call on you to visualize the expectations of youth struggling for quality jobs, of people living in poverty for social protection, of workers' demand for fundamental rights." The right to work is gaining status as human right to be globally recognized, but yet to be defined.
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