Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly
10 April 2019
Esteemed Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labor Organization,
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I would like to start by thanking the constructive engagement of Member and Observer States this morning in the plenary session to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the International Labor Organization.
It has been very gratifying to hear the States confirm their commitment with achieving decent work for all as one of the pillars off inclusive economic growth and, at the same time, as an essential tool to promote greater social justice and equality within societies. I am sure that tomorrow, when the plenary session resumes, we will continue to hear more voices in the same sense.
Next, as part of the event, we will hold two interactive panels on two matters that I consider to be central for the future of work and to which I will refer in a few moments.
Firstly, I invite you to address the pending challenges and commitments to ensure that all persons can have access to decent work and achieve SDG 8.
On one hand, it is about establishing the conditions that are necessary to create the 40 million annual jobs that are needed, from now to 2030, and to ensure responsible, quality investments to reach this goal.
But it is also about improving employments; most people who have an employment are still working under precarious conditions or in the informal sector, with limited income and insufficient social security. Thus, millions of workers are condemned to poverty and they see how, every day, despite their efforts, their possibilities to gain access to better living conditions, for themselves and their children, vanish as in a distant dream.
Increasing the participation of women in the labor market is essential. By 2018, the rate of the participation of women was only 48, 5%, in contrast to 75% for men. Another central aspect is the wage gap between women and men for the same job which, globally, is nearly 20%. This gap must disappear, since there is no justification whatsoever that can support it.
Secondly, I invite you to reflect on how we are preparing for the future of work.
The engine for the development of countries -the workforce and particularly young people- require adequate education and training to take advantage of the benefits of the rapid technological changes and the economy of the future, such as the opportunities presented by the fight against climate change.
Automation, although could very well eliminate 75 million jobs for 2022, would also create 133 million new positions. This is a potential opportunity that we cannot let pass us by.
Investing in education is vital, as is including groups in vulnerable situations, such as persons with disabilities, migrants and refugees, Indigenous Peoples and afro-descentant persons.
We have the responsibility of making the Fourth Industrial Revolution open a new era for inclusion, one that can broaden the real possibility of a better future for all countries and regions.
And, of course, it is crucial to adapt policies and regulatory frameworks to the new scenarios of the labor world.
We have the responsibility of making the Fourth Industrial Revolution open a new era for inclusion, one that can broaden the real possibility of a better future for all countries and regions.
Excellencies,
While we ponder upon one of the key aspects to distribute prosperity around the world, we must bear in mind that working is much more than “earning money”; as the ILO Director properly pointed out, labour is not a commodity, it is a right.
I invite you to think about and to build a future with societies that guarantee labor opportunities to overcome poverty and reduce inequalities. Social justice and sustainable development go hand in hand. With decent employment, let us make one of the main promises of the 2030 Agenda a reality: for all persons to be able to live decent and full lives.
Thank you.
