WORLD LEADERS TO LAUNCH DISCUSSION ON ‘FAIR GLOBALIZATION’ AT HEADQUARTERS, 20 SEPTEMBER

Note to Correspondents

WORLD LEADERS TO LAUNCH DISCUSSION ON ‘FAIR GLOBALIZATION’

AT HEADQUARTERS, 20 SEPTEMBER

In the most significant attempt yet to shift international debate on globalization from confrontation to dialogue, world leaders from north and south, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), meet here on 20 September to launch a new global discussion on how creating a fair globalization is essential to ensuring peace, prosperity and security for all.

Meeting on the eve of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, the Presidents of Brazil, Finland, France and the United Republic of Tanzania, along with the President of the Assembly and the United Nations Secretary-General, will gather in the Economic and Social Council Chamber at United Nations Headquarters here to urge the 191-Member United Nations to begin discussions on the need for “A Fair Globalization: Implementing the United Nations Millennium Declaration” for the first time.

The event will also seek to press upon the international community that, as poverty, social conflict and insecurity are rising worldwide, global efforts under the Millennium Declaration and Development Goals to address these issues by 2015 will fail unless new ways are found to create job opportunities and decent work for all through building a fair and inclusive globalization.

The special event will be hosted by Tarja Halonen, President of Finland,  and Benjamin William Mkapa, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, who co-chaired the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.  It will be moderated by Juan Somavia, Director General of the ILO.  The discussions will be based on the conclusions of the report “A Fair Globalization:  Creating Opportunities for All”, which was produced following two years of study by the World Commission and released in February of this year.

Perspectives on the social dimension of globalization will be provided by: 

-- Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

-- Jacques Chirac, President of France,

-- Luis Inàcio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil,

-- Jean Ping, President of the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The event will be available as a live webcast on www.un.org/webcast.  UNTV will provide live coverage of the event, as well as a daily summary.  For more information on how to pick up the live signal or for copies, contact UNTV.  For more information, see www.ilo.org/fairglobalization, or contact the ILO Department of Communication.  In New York/Washington, please call 212-697-0150 or e-mail g3ilo@ilowbo.org, or ILO/DCOMM in Geneva at +41 22 799 7912/7973 or communication@ilo.org.

Background

The United Nations Millennium Declaration called for ensuring globalization becomes a positive force for all the world’s people, and greater policy coherence and better cooperation between the United Nations, its agencies, the Bretton Woods institutions and other multilateral bodies, with a view to achieving a fully coordinated approach to peace and development.  The report of the World Commission is a direct response to this call.

According to Presidents Halonen and Mkapa, the Commission’s report shifts the debate on globalization from confrontation to dialogue and provides a platform for common action in the future.  A central finding of the report is that achieving a fair globalization is essential for securing global prosperity, peace and security.  A strengthened United Nations multilateral system is seen as the instrument for bringing about the necessary reforms and ensuring coherence between international, economic, social and environmental policies.

Calling for a better balance between economic and social policies at the national and the global level, one of the key recommendations of the report is to make “decent work” –- improvements in the quality and quantity of jobs, as well as sustainable livelihoods –- a global goal.

The recent Extraordinary Summit of the African Union on Employment and Poverty Alleviation, held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 8-9 September, provided a unique and timely opportunity to realize this vision and gave full support to the Commission’s recommendations.

The World Commission –- established by the ILO -– is an independent body which brought together leaders from governments, parliaments, business, civil society, workers and academia.  The recommendations of the Commission will be of particular relevance to the work of the General Assembly of the United Nations when it considers the follow-up of the outcome of the Millennium Summit.

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