EYE ON NEW RESOURCES: Decent Work and Fair Globalization - A Guide to Policy Dialogue

The recent world economic and financial crisis has dramatically increased the credibility of UN, civil society and other voices calling for a major overhaul in current approaches to economic governance. An essential anchor to leverage such change is the 2005 commitment of all Heads of State and Government to strongly support a “fair globalization” and to make “full and productive employment and decent work for all” a central policy objective in all relevant national and international policies, including to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This decision represents a major paradigm shift in the global economic and development discourse as it was the first time governments formally acknowledged the importance of full and productive employment for people to get out of the cycle of poverty and as a means to achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. The new target on full employment and decent work that was added under MDG1 brings in a much more comprehensive and incisive analytical framework to assess whether economic policies are helping or hindering progress towards the realization of the MDGs.

The policy implications of reintegrating full productive employment on the global economic and development agenda have not yet been fully explored. Decent Work and Fair Globalization: A Guide to Policy Dialogue aims to map out what the ramifications of this commitment mean in terms of better holding economic governance institutions (whether finance ministries, central banks or international economic and development bodies) accountable to full and decent employment goals. It also aims to help strengthen the advocacy of civil society organizations campaigning for greater economic and social justice by providing tools for more informed policy dialogue on how to align macroeconomic, trade and financial policies with these new objectives.

“This NGLS guide to policy dialogue provides many thought-provoking suggestions for alternative economic strategies at national and international levels to realign macro-economic, financial and trade policies so as to meet the imperatives of full and decent employment. I strongly recommend that all interested in the decent work agenda find the time to read and consider its proposals.” said Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Full report available.