Keynote address at Decent Work Conference

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

I am a socialist. A socialist who believes globalisation is good.  Global rules for trade and investment have made the world a better place.

By creating wealth, freedom and opportunities, by integrating many developing countries into the world economy and lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty. 

By creating the basis for lasting peace, by promoting predictability and interdependence.  The cases of China and India are the most striking.

However, I need to emphasise the following two points:  The benefits of globalisation are not products of liberalisation itself.  The benefits of globalisation are products of the combination of trade liberalisation, technology and conscious, proactive government policies. 

The benefits of globalisation, where they have materialised, result from strong governments with long-term strategic development objectives.  Governments with the power – and the political will – to make sure the benefits of globalisation trickle down to the poor. 

The challenge we are facing now, rich and poor countries alike, is to make sure that active government policies to promote not only growth, but also social justice, are compatible with continued globalisation.  As pointed out by my colleague Foreign Minister Støre this morning, to make globalisation sustainable, we have to make it more fair. 

We believe the key is to make Decent Work for All an explicit objective and criterion for economic policymakers, including in trade, finance and development policies.

For as we know, besides individual freedom, one of the most important aspirations for people everywhere is to get a decent job where their human rights are respected and where they earn enough to support themselves and their families. 

Unfortunately, we also know that these conditions in the labour market do not come about by themselves.  We know that the labour market, like any other market, is not only a product of supply and demand.  It is also a question of a balance of power.  Between the rich and the poor, between classes, and between men and women. 

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the same anniversary of the ILO’s Convention 87 on Freedom of Association, I am compelled to point out the obvious: 

To achieve sustainable growth, we need fairer distribution.  And to achieve fairer distribution, we need the political will to empower the powerless. 

This is particularly true in the labour market, where it is crucial to promote gender equality.  And as we in Norway know from experience, empowerment of the poor and empowerment of women are not only a matter of ethics and human rights, but also very good economics.

And again, this does not come about by itself. The fact that Norway has a combination of one of the highest birth rates in Europe and one of the highest rates of female work participation is not the result of Norwegian women being exceptionally fertile. It is the product of political will and consistent policies.

I am very pleased that our good friends Director General Somavia of the ILO and Director General Lamy of the WTO have both agreed to make personal commitments to help promote UN Millennium Development Goal number three – on gender equality.  And for this I will shortly give each of them a burning torch as a visible symbol of their commitment.

But before doing so, I would like to inform you all that, after that, Director General Somavia and I will also sign the new bilateral agreement on development cooperation between Norway and the International Labour Organisation. 

Here we are increasing Norway’s support to the ILO to 100 million Norwegian kroner for this year and next. Half of this is earmarked for promoting gender equality. 

Besides also supporting the ILO’s fight against child labour and  promotion of social dialogue and better coherence in economic policymaking, we have this year added two important new priorities we believe are crucial for social justice and a fair globalisation. 

On the one hand, freedom of association and collective bargaining, and on the other greater resources for labour inspections.  The latter because we believe that formal commitments are not enough.  Delivery on the ground is the only thing that matters at the end of the day.

This new bilateral agreement has been developed in close dialogue with the ILO itself and the social partners in Norway, in particular the NHO and LO, who have joined us here today.  And I am pleased to say, in the spirit of better coherence in governance, that the priorities have been set in close cooperation between me and my fellow cabinet ministers – not least the Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, Dag Terje Andersen.  Mr Andersen will elaborate on the philosophy behind our decent work policy when he gives the first speech to the plenary after lunch.

Thank you, and now would Mr Lamy please join me to receive the first MDG 3 torch.