‘Warp-Speed’ Action Must Harness Globalization to Drive Forward 2030 Agenda, Deputy Secretary-General Tells International Labour Organization
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Working Party on Social Dimension of Globalization at the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Board meeting, in Geneva today:
It is wonderful to be back at the ILO — and a real privilege to address the Governing Body and this Working Party of the Social Dimension of Globalization. This is truly one of the most unique gathering spaces in the international system. I so admire who you are and what you represent. You are founded on tripartism — on workers, employers and Governments coming together through dialogue for shared solutions. Not only common solutions, but common-sense solutions.
The ILO consistently has it finger on the pulse on people’s concerns. You were far out front in recognizing the need to focus on the social dimension of globalization. You were in the lead in so eloquently expressing people’s demands for the dignity of decent work.
Director-General Ryder and all of you have been such critical voices to expand opportunities for young people to open doors and break glass ceilings for women; to push for social justice in every corner of our world. The ILO has been doing this and more, year after year, decade after decade. Indeed, we look forward to celebrating the ILO’s centennial next year.
I am here for a dialogue about the reform process of the United Nations development system — a reform to make the United Nations fit for purpose for delivering the Sustainable Development Goals. My conversations with Director‑General Ryder and the distinguished Chair of the Governing Body have helped inform the proposals the Secretary-General put forward in December 2017.
I am pleased to be with you now as we begin the last mile of the repositioning process, and as Member States work towards a resolution expected next month. As I begin, let me say that the United Nations has six official languages. But, too often, we fall into one common way of speaking: “UN-ese”. I will try my best to tell it like it is — in plain English.
I want to speak clearly and simply about the reform journey we have undertaken, where we are going, and why it matters to the world of work and the world at large. Allow me to begin by stepping back for a bit of context. We know the challenges that confront our world. Globalization has delivered immense opportunities and daunting challenges.
We have seen tremendous economic gains at the global level. Yet, these gains have not been shared equally among or within countries. The weakened bargaining power of labour and the falling share of labour income is helping to fuel this alarming rise in inequality. Yes, nearly 1 billion people have escaped the misery of extreme poverty. Yet, there have also been painful adjustment costs, with shifts in production and labour markets.
Those on the margins of our societies have paid the highest price. So, has our planet. Environmental costs have been substantial. Fundamental inequalities are making it harder for people to get better health, education and access to justice. They are making it harder for people to earn a decent wage and live in dignity. Whether we like it or not, rising inequality has become the face of globalization, breeding discontent, intolerance and social instability — especially among our youth.
But, as this Working Party knows best, public policy can shape globalization for the better. And the international community has forged the instruments to guide us there. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris climate accord — all adopted in 2015 — are all designed with one destination in mind. It is a destination, I might add, that the ILO put on the map more than a decade ago: a fair globalization.
What are the guideposts? Let me point to three. First and foremost, we must leave no one behind. That means the agenda is universal. We need to protect the most vulnerable in all our societies. The ILO has helped show that people are more likely to share in the gains from globalization where economic growth is equitable and sustainable, and where labour and financial markets are inclusive.
Second, we must advance instruments that blunt the adverse effects of globalization: universal social protection measures, such as conditional cash transfers; universal access to health and education; and strong labour market policies and institutions.
Third, we must revisit monetary, fiscal, trade and investment policies to redirect savings to productive investments, which are pivotal to sustainable growth and creating the decent jobs the world needs. So, too, is taking profit of the framework laid out in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
All of this brings me to how we make sure our development system delivers for the people we serve. We know that system can and must harness the full potential of globalization. It can and must support Member States to create decent jobs and implement universal social protection measures, including national social protection floors. It can and must be fit for purpose — helping countries deliver on their commitments.
That means we need a United Nations development system that lives up to the universal and integrated nature of the 2030 Agenda and delivers meaningful results for people. We need a development system that is more cohesive, effective, efficient and accountable. And we need a development system that is not a bureaucratic free-for-all, but one that is rooted in collaboration and laser‑focused on countries priorities and needs.
Let me outline five key reform proposals of particular relevance to the ILO. First, we want to build a new generation of United Nations country teams, led by an impartial and empowered Resident Coordinator, to better align the United Nations response with the 2030 Agenda and national development priorities and contexts.
Second, we are working to promote a revamped regional approach to advance regional priorities as agreed by Member States and align with and fully support work on the ground.
Third, we want renewed intergovernmental spaces for Member States to better guide the system and ensure accountability for system-wide results.
Fourth, we know we cannot do it alone, so we want a stronger United Nations approach to partnerships for the 2030 Agenda.
Fifth and finally, we have put forward a funding compact to bring better quality, quantity and predictability of resources in exchange for a commitment to greater efficiency, value-for-money and reporting on system-wide results.
I am pleased to note there is an emerging consensus on the key areas of the reform package that came out of the Economic and Social Council. As ever, some diverging views remain on precisely how to get there, which will now be discussed in the General Assembly. I am confident that these discussions will lead to an adoption of a package of proposals by mid-April.
At the same time, the Secretary-General is wasting no time and moving forward where he can. These include: changes to the United Nations Development Group, a new steering committee for humanitarian/development collaboration, and the appointment just last week of the first-ever United Nations chief economist.
I might add he also is also advancing gender parity — for the first time in history the senior management team of the United Nations Secretariat is now 50-50. And he is taking new bold steps to root out sexual harassment and sexual exploitation and abuse.
Now, allow me to zero-in on why reform matters for the ILO. Our goal is to ensure a United Nations development system where the sum is greater than the parts. That means — as the Secretary-General has emphasized — reform must be about making the most of the enormous strengths of the specialized agencies.
Indeed, the 2030 Agenda, more than any framework before, compels us to take full advantage of the assets scattered across the system. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will play a lead role as an integrated platform to bring assets together. And as we do so, we must ensure that all entity mandates are delivered, with full accountability to each entity’s governing body. Put simply, in the case of ILO, reform means recognizing the unique nature of your tripartite governance model.
At the same time, our proposals will help make sure the system at large taps into the kind of unique specialized expertise provided by the ILO. Let me give you one example. Too often, the system tends to hire external consultants because the system simply lacks the capacities and incentives to make the most of our own in-house expertise — namely, specialized agencies and non-resident agencies. We want to remove those road blocks.
When we push for a more integrated approach — and when we provide mechanisms with incentives to do so — we will have more inter-agency cross-fertilization, more opportunities for internal specialized skill sets, and more space for specialized agencies to show their stuff. And we need it.
After all, we want to strengthen the strategic role of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework to better identify national priorities, while preserving specific essential mandates, such as the ILO’s vital normative work on labour standards. Across the development landscape, country after country has identified labour market policies as central to advance their goals. And so the reform efforts will give the ILO an opportunity to more easily expand its reach, and do so in a more flexible, efficient and effective manner. I commend this Governing Body for already pointing the way by aligning your programme and budget with the 2030 Agenda. I salute the ILO for working constructively within the United Nations Development Group to move towards a more integrated approach.
But, we have much work ahead of us. The ambition of the 2030 Agenda requires us to work at warp speed. As the Secretary-General has said ambition isn’t a choice — it is our only option to make sure our system delivers for people in the twenty-first century. We have our boldest blueprint for a sustainable future for humanity. Let us seize this historic opportunity.
The world needs a stronger United Nations development system. And the United Nations development system needs a vibrant ILO as a critical member of its family. Now I look forward to the opportunity to hear from you — particularly your concerns and challenges as reform rolls out at the country level.