Global labor conference kicks off amid rising challenges

International Labour Organization (ILO) Director General Guy Ryder warned here on Monday everybody stands to lose if labor inequalities continue unabated in a world of work undergoing profound and rapid change.

"We must not allow ourselves the illusion that inequality, marginalization, and division are things which happen to the world of work. It is our task to react," he told the opening ceremony of the 105th International Labour Conference.

"The reality is that it is the world of work that is bringing these phenomena about, under the pressure of external factors, but all of this is the consequence of what we do, how we behave, and what we decide," he added.

While highlighting ILO's mandate for social justice, Ryder stressed the importance of building a future with decent work, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals adopted last year.

"The fact is that with the 2030 Agenda the international community has committed itself to transformative change to bring an end to extreme poverty, which is one of the historic objectives of the ILO," Ryder said.

"It is an agenda for global social justice and an agenda for our times in which, perversely, the very wealth creating capacity that offers the prospect of consigning poverty to history also risks taking us further away from social justice rather than carrying us towards it," he added.

Uniting government, employer and workers' representatives from more than 180 member states, this year's conference will address issues including global supply chains, decent work for peace, security and disaster resilience as well as the impact of the ILO declaration on social justice for a fair globalization.

Delegates will also discuss amendments to the code of the Maritime Labour Convention and review the director general's report on poverty.

Being held in Geneva, the conference will end on June 10. Enditem