ITUC Side-Event at the HLPF: A New Social Contract for a gender-transformative agenda

The ITUC will present its recommendations to the High-Level Politcal Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) to address the dramatic backlash of progress on the SDGs that the world is facing.

Date Time Platform
11 July 08:00 - 09:00 EDT Facebook

The 2022 HLPF will take place in a context of multiple crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of conflicts, growing poverty and inequality, and a worsening climate crisis. All these elements resulted in a dramatic backlash of progress on the SDGs, including the goals under review at HLPF 2022: the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out 20 years of education gains (SDG 4) and exacerbated the unequal position of women including in the labour market (SDG 5); at the same time, the pandemic showed that, by threatening biodiversity, humanity threatens its own survival (SDG 14 and 15).

Given this framework, the HLPF 2022 must provide clear guidance on policy priorities to accelerate action on the SDGs. And Goal 8, with its targets on full and productive employment and decent work. is providing important key answers.

By including aspects connected to economic performance, labour market output and outcomes, labour rights and environmental preservation, SDG 8 provides a strong leverage for other goals, including the goals under review this year. For example, through child labour eradication , Goal 8 contributes to ensure education for all, and by calling for higher levels of productivity SDG 8 supports broader lifelong learning policies (SDG 4). Aiming at “decent work for all and equal pay for work of equal value”, SDG 8 contributes to gender equality (SDG 5). And by calling for “decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation”, SDG 8 sustains progress towards SDG 14 and 15.

This is why trade unions call for a gender transformative New Social Contract rooted on SDG 8 , and support the vision of the UN Secretary General’s Report “Our Common Agenda” and the ” UN Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection”.

The purpose of the event organised by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is to put forward key policy recommendations , in order to accelerate action on the overall 2030 Agenda.

AGENDA

Panel 1: Policy priorities to advance progress towards a gender transformative New Social Contract

  • Zingiswa Losi, President COSATU South Africa
  • Susan Hopgood, President, Education International

Panel 2: The role of the UN and Member States in carrying out a New Social Contract

  • Beate Andrees, Special Representative to the UN and Director of the ILO Office for the United Nations
  • Flor de Lis Vasquez Muñoz, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations

The debate will be moderated by Paola Simonetti, Director Equality Department, ITUC

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