Trade Unions Virtual Event at the HLPF 2021: SDG 8 as a New Social Contract for a job-rich recovery and resilience

Date Time Platform
6 July 14:00 – 15:00 CEST Zoom& Facebook live

Covid-19 has triggered an extraordinary wave of destruction across the world of work. In 2020, over 250 million jobs were destroyed, the number of workers living in moderate or extreme poverty increased by 108 million and more than 1.6 billion informal workers are facing deprivation without any social protection to fall back on.

In light of this, the ITUC SDG 8 Monitor confirms that the world already had a “sustainability debt” when it entered the pandemic. In fact, the monitoring of 145 countries shows evidence of serious underperformance related to four dimensions:

  • Economic well-being: economic growth alone cannot provide countries with the sufficient means to counter poverty and inequalities ensuring well-being to all.
  • Employment quality: higher levels of GNI are not necessarily correlated to quality jobs with adequate wages and inclusive labour markets.
  • Labour vulnerability: a global challenge still with workers exposed to risks, under-protection and exclusion in the majority of countries.
  • Labour rights: the respect of rights of workers is not necessarily related to the good economic performance of a country.

Through its targets on decent work, social protection and sustainable growth, SDG 8 plays a fundamental role in driving the 2030 Agenda forward and it is central to the trade unions’ call for a New Social Contract. During the event participants will take stock of the crisis impact on SDG 8 and the world of work and will put forward key policy recommendations to enhance a job-rich recovery and resilience.

Speakers:

  • Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization
  • Sanda Ojiambo, Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact
  • Stephen Cotton, General Secretary, International Transport Workers’ Federation
  • Robert Andrew Piper, Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination, Development Coordination Office

Moderation: Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary

Interpretation available in ENGLISH, FRENCH and SPANISH

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