GENEVA (AN) — The U.N. labor agency's chief opened its annual conference warning that recent workforce advances are threatened by a barrage of geopolitical crises.
Global GDP growth of 3.2% is forecast over the next year and a half along with inflation falling to 4.4% and a slight drop in unemployment to 4.9%, said Gilbert Houngbo, director-general of the International Labor Organization, marking the return to pre-pandemic levels of economic activity.
All of that is threatened, however, by the wars and "terrible conflicts" in places like Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, he told the opening of the 112th International Labor Conference on Monday at the United Nations' European headquarters in Geneva.
"As I look around the world today, I feel rather ambivalent," Houngbo, a former prime minister of Togo, said as 5,000 government, employers’ and workers’ representatives assembled from ILO’s 187 member nations.
"On the one hand, we see remarkable progress," he said. "On the other hand, we see crisis and challenges coming one on top of the other."
'A period of flux'
The conference, which elected Moldova's Labor Minister Alexei Buzu to serve as its president, began with a keynote speech by economics professor Jayati Ghosh, who has taught at universities in the U.S. and India.
“Much like in 1944, we are currently experiencing a period of flux, within countries and in the international economy. It has become overwhelmingly evident that 'business as usual' is no longer an option," she told the conference, which concludes at the end of next week.
"Instead of thinking of how public policies and social processes can help the economy," she said, "we need to ask how the economy can serve society and be in harmony with nature and the planet."
Among the topics that delegates will discuss are:
- A proposal to draft an international labor standard for protecting workers against the effects of climate change and biological hazards. ILO already has written technical guidelines.
- Efforts to promote equitable economic growth, fair labor practices, and social inclusion through more collaboration among governments, employers, and workers.
