On the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice (February 20), the Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Guy Ryder, stresses that decent work is essential to achieving sustainable development and social justice, without which there can be no lasting peace.
The UN's motto for this World Day of Social Justice is: "No peace or development without social justice". This precept is the very foundation of the ILO: the Latin phrase Si vis pacem, cole justitiam - If you want peace, cultivate justice - is engraved on the foundation stone of the organization's first headquarters building. For a century, the ILO has been committed to its mission of promoting social justice in the world of work.
It's true that technology has created jobs, opened up possibilities and reduced the drudgery of certain activities, but even today, billions of people barely survive in the informal economy...
The ILO will continue to defend the rights and standards on which decent work is based, and to promote policies conducive to decent work and conditions conducive to the creation of decent jobs by businesses. It will encourage social dialogue so that a shared vision of a future in which everyone has a place can emerge, notably through a just transition to environmental sustainability.
"It's undeniable that considerable economic and social progress has been made. However, these benefits are often unevenly distributed. Many people have been lifted out of poverty, but many are still in a precarious situation. While technology has created jobs, opened up opportunities and reduced the drudgery of certain activities, billions of people are still barely surviving in the informal economy. Many countries are marked by profound social and economic inequalities, or torn apart by war and conflict. What's more, in a changing world of work, established relationships, norms and rules are being called into question, and fundamental rights at work are not yet fully realized.
It is as certain today as it was in 1919 that peace and stability can only be sustained if they are based on sustainable development and social justice. Achieving decent work - work freely chosen, carried out in conditions of equality, security and dignity - will be essential. We can choose the path that will make a better future possible for women and men, for their families, for communities and for society as a whole.
The ILO will continue to defend the rights and standards on which decent work is based, and to promote policies conducive to decent work and conditions conducive to the creation of decent jobs by enterprises."
The ILO will continue to defend the rights and standards on which decent work is based, and to promote policies conducive to decent work and conditions conducive to the creation of decent jobs by businesses. It will encourage social dialogue so that a shared vision of a future in which everyone has a place can emerge, notably through a just transition to environmental sustainability.
We will continue to serve social justice, and to work for decent work, the vector of lasting peace."