Major Group: Women, Workers and Trade Unions, Children and Youth, and Indigenous Peoples
Intervention on Focus Area 11: Employment and Decent Work
Thank you, Mr. Co-Chair. I’m Rosa Lizarde with the Feminist Task Force presenting On behalf of Women, Workers and
Trade Unions, Children and Youth, and Indigenous Peoples Major Groups, as well as the People Goals Campaign.
Following yesterday’s session, we call for a stand alone GOAL on Full and Productive Employment and Decent
Work for All.
The Decent Work Agenda, with its four pillars (job creation, rights at work, social dialogue and social protection)
lends itself to the construction of targets by which progress can be assessed and monitored. We therefore propose that
targets be organized under the four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda.
Under Job Creation
Targets must be included to…
1. Achieve full and productive employment
2. Reduce vulnerable employment and number of working poor
Many people, in particular women, experience income insecurity as a result of informal, precarious or
causal employment while others maintain some form of work but still live below the poverty line
3. Ensure a just transition to sustainability
Increase decent work in environmentally-sustainable sectors ('green') jobs
4. Ensure protection for local and traditional livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples and rural communities
Under the second pillar Ensuring and protecting rights at work
We propose 4 Targets:
1. Ensure decent working conditions in line with ILO conventions and standards
2. Introduce a minimum living wage
A living wage is one that enables workers and their families to live in dignity. Further wages must be set
against national income and not simply productivity
3. Ensure gender equality at work (including eliminating the gender pay gap)
This must be grounded in women’s ability to fully enjoy their economic, social, cultural and political rights,
women’s access to education, information, land and credit, to stop and prevent violence against women of all
ages and girls--this includes Equal pay for work of equal value
AND 4. Ensure that no child is involved in hazardous work.
On the third pillar Ensure effective social dialogue
A target must be included so that…
All workers enjoy workplace democracy and able to be represented in social dialogue with employers
and governments. This includes freedom of association, the right to join a union and collective bargaining
On the fourth pillar, we propose there be a separate GOAL on Universal Social Protection. Under this goal we would
propose the following targets:
1. Provide social protection to all people living below poverty lines
This target should be in line with ILO recommendation 202
2. Implement a policy framework for social protection floors
This would be adaptable to national contexts.
3. Guarantee income security and social services during childhood for unemployed, sick, mothers and
people with disabilities and for older persons
And finally
4. Establish a Global Fund for Social Protection - (including technical support to encourage a global
commitment to ending poverty and inequality through implementation of Social Protection Floors.—Did not
have time for this line).
We will make available a more detailed statement in writing. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Co-Chair. I’m Rosa Lizarde with the Feminist Task Force presenting On behalf of Women, Workers and
Trade Unions, Children and Youth, and Indigenous Peoples Major Groups, as well as the People Goals Campaign.
Following yesterday’s session, we call for a stand alone GOAL on Full and Productive Employment and Decent
Work for All.
The Decent Work Agenda, with its four pillars (job creation, rights at work, social dialogue and social protection)
lends itself to the construction of targets by which progress can be assessed and monitored. We therefore propose that
targets be organized under the four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda.
Under Job Creation
Targets must be included to…
1. Achieve full and productive employment
2. Reduce vulnerable employment and number of working poor
Many people, in particular women, experience income insecurity as a result of informal, precarious or
causal employment while others maintain some form of work but still live below the poverty line
3. Ensure a just transition to sustainability
Increase decent work in environmentally-sustainable sectors ('green') jobs
4. Ensure protection for local and traditional livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples and rural communities
Under the second pillar Ensuring and protecting rights at work
We propose 4 Targets:
1. Ensure decent working conditions in line with ILO conventions and standards
2. Introduce a minimum living wage
A living wage is one that enables workers and their families to live in dignity. Further wages must be set
against national income and not simply productivity
3. Ensure gender equality at work (including eliminating the gender pay gap)
This must be grounded in women’s ability to fully enjoy their economic, social, cultural and political rights,
women’s access to education, information, land and credit, to stop and prevent violence against women of all
ages and girls--this includes Equal pay for work of equal value
AND 4. Ensure that no child is involved in hazardous work.
On the third pillar Ensure effective social dialogue
A target must be included so that…
All workers enjoy workplace democracy and able to be represented in social dialogue with employers
and governments. This includes freedom of association, the right to join a union and collective bargaining
On the fourth pillar, we propose there be a separate GOAL on Universal Social Protection. Under this goal we would
propose the following targets:
1. Provide social protection to all people living below poverty lines
This target should be in line with ILO recommendation 202
2. Implement a policy framework for social protection floors
This would be adaptable to national contexts.
3. Guarantee income security and social services during childhood for unemployed, sick, mothers and
people with disabilities and for older persons
And finally
4. Establish a Global Fund for Social Protection - (including technical support to encourage a global
commitment to ending poverty and inequality through implementation of Social Protection Floors.—Did not
have time for this line).
We will make available a more detailed statement in writing. Thank you.