[eccr] ILO Commission on Globalisation

For immediate release
        ILO/02/06 


ILO Tackles Social Consequences of Globalization

GENEVA (ILO News)  The International Labour Organization (ILO) today
launched a top-level commission comprising Presidents, politicians,
academics, social experts and a Nobel Economics laureate which, for the
first time, will address the social dimension of globalization.

The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization will be led by
two Heads of State, Finnish President Tarja Halonen and President Benjamin
Mkapa of Tanzania. Its ultimate goal is to use the process of globalization
as a resource to reduce poverty and unemployment, to foster growth and
sustainable development, said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia at a news
conference. 

"The Commission is an unprecedented effort to promote international dialogue
on ideas to make globalization more inclusive, at a time when the debate is
dominated more by polemics and preconceptions than by facts. " Juan Somavia,
who was recently invited to address both the Porto Alegre Social Forum and
Davos in New York, added that "the time for consensus-building and new
thinking around these difficult issues has arrived."

"For some, globalization has been an instrument for progress. It has created
wealth, expanded opportunities and provided a nurturing environment for
entrepreneurship and enterprise. But for others, it has exacerbated
inequalities and insecurity. They fear that the risks are too great, the
benefits too small", Mr. Somavia said.

 "Globalization has to deliver what working people and their families
everywhere aspire to adecent job, security and a voice in the
decision-making process. People want a better shot at the gains that
globalization is meant to deliver. This means access to much better
opportunities for decent work, and promoting development with social justice
in the context of open economies and open societies."

 The Commission will "examine ways in which all international organizations
can contribute to a more inclusive globalization process that is acceptable
and fair to all," Mr. Somavia said.

Presidents Halonen and Mkapa will serve as Co-chairs of the Commission whose
members will act in their personal capacity.

In its effort to formulate concrete actions to guide and shape the process
of globalization, the Commission will also:
·       Establish the facts and outline the main contours and dynamics of
the process; 

·       Examine the perceptions of workers, enterprises, investors and
consumers as well as different expressions of civil society and public
opinion from all parts of the world;

·       Analyse the impact of globalization on employment, decent work,
poverty reduction, economic growth and development;

·       Forge a broad consensus on the issues, including the involvement of
all interested international organizations, as well as governments and
organizations representing workers and employers; and,
·       Launch a process for addressing the key issues posed by the global
economy to make globalization sustainable and promote the fair sharing of
its benefits. 

This is the first time that an independent Commission has been co-Chaired by
two sitting Heads of State. Its members, drawn from all regions of the
world, include former Italian Premier Giuliano Amato; Joseph Stiglitz,
winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for Economics; Julio Maria Sanguinetti,
former President of the Republic of Uruguay; Ruth C.L. Cardoso, First Lady
of Brazil and President of that country's Community Solidarity Council; Ann
McLaughlin Korologos, Vice Chairman of the Rand Corporation and former US
Secretary of Labour; Surin Pitsuwan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Thailand; Deepak Nayyar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi and
former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India; Hernando de Soto,
author and President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy in Peru;
John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO; Francois Perigot, President of the
International Organization of Employers and former Chairman and CEO of
Unilever France; and Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary of the Confederation
of South African Trade Unions. Leading personalities from Japan and the
Russian Federation have also been invited, and their confirmation is
awaited. (Full list of members annexed)

Mr. Somavia will act as an ex officio member of the Commission, together
with the President of Governing Body, Mr. Alain Ludovic Tou, the Chairperson
of the Workers' Group, Lord Bill Brett, and the Chairperson of the
Employers' Group, Mr. Daniel Funes de Rioja.

The Commission will be serviced by a special secretariat set up by the ILO.
Mr. P. Gopinath, a senior official of the ILO, has been appointed as
Executive Secretary of the Commission.

The Commission has scheduled its first meeting for 25 March 2002 in Geneva.
It is expected to complete its deliberations and present an authoritative
report to the ILO's Director-General in the course of 2003.


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