Statement at ILO's General Assembly

Mr. President,

The International Labour Organization is at a crossroads.   Globalization – the combination of modern technologies and legally binding rules promoting trade, investment and transnational production systems – has fundamentally altered the balance of power in labour markets. 

The effect of this global shift is aggrevated by the ILO’s relative weakness, both as a body of instruments, as a political arena – and as a partner for development. 

The result can be read in figures from the IMF, showing how labour is getting a diminishing share of national income, as appropriately pointed out by the Director General in his speech on Monday. [Although the statistics refer to the trend in developed countries, and although some workers in some countries stand to gain, there is no reason to believe the situation is significantly different in developing countries]. 

Mr. President,

This year’s Global Report deals with discrimination.  Addressing discrimination is not only the right thing to do from an ethical perspective.  Fighting discrimination and promoting equal opportunity for all is also great economics.  Norway’s experience in this regard is a telling example. 

By actively promoting equality of opportunity, even at times of poverty, we succeeded in transforming one of Europe’s poorest countries into one of the most prosperous.  [And let me underscore that, contrary to widely held misconceptions, the fundamental principles and measures to promote equality in Norway - incidentally the measures for Decent Work - were taken several decades before we even started looking for oil, when we were still a poor country, with a GDP per capita lower than today’s middle-income developing countries]. 

Mr. President,

The trend of diminishing relative returns to labour represents an anti-thesis to social justice. In response, we urgently need a stronger ILO.

Norway therefore welcome, with relief, the way this year’s International Labour Conference has been conducted.  Over the past three weeks, we have reassured ourselves and those who care about social justice that, although the ILO may have been a little down in face of globalisation – the ILO is definitely not out! 

[Three years after the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization published its report, the Director General and his staff, with crucial contributions from the tripartite membership, have been able to place the challenges of the ILO where they belong – at the center of attention for policy-makers. Decent Work for all is now a global goal, even explicitly acknowledged by the G8 at their recent summit in Germany.]

Thus, we have been gathered this year for a particularly important meeting of the International Labour Conference.  For the first time, we have formally had on our agenda how to strengthen the ILO in the context of globalization.  The discussions were difficult, as expected, but we can all be proud of the result:  The follow-up agreed by consensus represents a breakthrough for those who wish to put the ILO on track for greater relevance, effectiveness and efficiency.

We were able to avoid what many consider an important reason for the organization’s perceived and real weakness – the strong propensity to make any discussion of what is really very political questions – questions of values and interest and political direction for the world economy – into a technical exercise of how to manage this organization.  Fortunately, we were able to avoid that.

Of course the ILO has potential for improvement in management, including transparency in budgeting.  Of course the ILO can be even better at working with others, both within and outside the UN system.  And of course the ILO would benefit from even greater focus.  But none of these potentials for improvement should allow us to distract from the real political message:

The ILO, with its tripartite membership and its clear and comprehensive mandate, is indispensible for fair globalization and sustainable development.

And here, let me express Norway’s appreciation for how the Director General and several other speakers have pointed out the importance of establishing the necessary balance of all three dimensions of sustainability:  Environmental, economic and social.  They are all mutually re-enforcing, and policy-makers should pursue them as such – to a greater extent than is currently the case.

In this regard we also note with satisfaction how the debate on sustainable enterprizes, another first of this conference, has confirmed the relevance of the ILO and the Decent Work Agenda.  To be clear:  Without Decent Work, no enterprize will be sustainable – in the long run.

The problem is that in the long run, we are all gone - at least from the economic and political stage. 

Thus Mr. President,

Perhaps the greatest challenge of all in this era of globalized interdependence, is to tackle short-termism and narrow pursuit of self-interest.

To help us deal with this, the ILO - with its tripartism and its social dialogue - is particularly well placed in the family of international organizations - within and beyond the United Nations.

We therefore welcome the geniune and constructive outreach conducted by the DG and his staff, both in the context of UN Reform at country level, and vis a vis other institutions of global economic governance – most notably recently, the joint study with the World Trade Organization on the crucial link between trade and employment.

Because it is only through dialogue, across differences, that we can move beyond the current, unsustainable form of globalization – where unequally distributed might is given right. 

It is only through dialogue, both nationally, regionally and at the global level, that we can develop a global economic system where not might is right, but where right is might.

Because this is what we believe in, Norway will continue its strong support for the ILO.  We even have the intention of increasing our voluntary financial contributions for the next bi-annum.  In doing so, we will maintain a comprehensive perspective, giving due attention to the organization’s and members’ priorities.

In this regard, we note with particular interest the closing remarks of the Director General’s opening speech last Monday, when he pointed out that in an increasingly competitive global market economy, there is an urgent need to strengthen the social partners, to promote tripartism and social dialogue. 

We could’t agree more. 

Thank you Mr. President.