Delegates from 181 countries representing governments, workers and employers at the International Labour Conference (ILC) recently unanimously adopted a Global Call to Action for a Human-Centred COVID-19 Recovery that prioritises the creation of decent jobs for all and addresses the inequalities caused by the crisis and outlines a comprehensive agenda.

The call commits countries to ensuring that their economic and social recovery from the crisis is ‘fully inclusive, sustainable and resilient’, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in a press release.

The agreement includes two sets of agreed actions. The first covers measures to be taken by national governments and their employer and trade union ‘social partners’, to achieve a job-rich recovery that substantially strengthens worker and social protections and supports sustainable enterprises.

A second set of actions covers international cooperation and the role of multilateral institutions, including the ILO, with the aim of increasing the level and coherence of their support for national ‘human-centred’ pandemic recovery strategies.

The agreement calls on the ILO–with its mandate for social justice and decent work–to play a leadership role and use all means of action to support the design and implementation of recovery strategies that leave no one behind, including by reinforcing cooperation with other institutions of the multilateral system.

“Unless we specifically address the inequalities that have deepened during this crisis there is a very real risk that the economic and social consequences will cause long-term scarring," said Guy Ryder, ILO director general.

“The effectiveness and resilience of the recovery from COVID-19 will depend heavily on how broadly-based and socially inclusive it is. Unless we specifically address the inequalities that have deepened during this crisis there is a very real risk that the economic and social consequences will cause long-term scarring, particularly for disproportionately-affected groups such as young people and women, and the small and microenterprises that provide most of the world’s employment,” he added.

The Call to Action is grounded in the ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, adopted at the 2019 ILC. It provides a path for accelerating practical implementation of the Declaration through enhanced policies and investment that support a broad-based, fully-inclusive recovery.

It also calls for urgent, coordinated action in related areas, including international cooperation and solidarity to ensure global and equal access to vaccines, treatments and preventive measures.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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