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Mrs.
Faith D. Innerarity, Director of Social Security, Ministry of Labour
and Social Security, for the country of Jamaica, addressed the 41st
Session of the UN Commission for Social Development on “National
and International Cooperation for Social Development, at the UN/New
York, on February 12, 2003
Mr. Chairman,
Let me use this opportunity to extend best wishes to you and
other members of the Bureau as you ably guide the proceedings of
this forty-first session of the Commission for Social Development.
My delegation also wishes to express its endorsement of the
Statement made by Morocco on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
Mr. Chairman,
The priority theme before us, “National and International
Cooperation for Social Development” is at the core of the mandate
for this Commission and is indeed integral to the very existence of
the United Nations.
It is this spirit of partnership, which also underlined
deliberations at the Social Summit in 1995, when world leaders and
other critical stakeholders gathered to ensure that top priority be
given to social development issues. The noted French sociologist,
Emile Durkheim, in his writing highlighted the centrality of
“Solidarity” (unity or social cohesion) in the maintenance and
progress of human society. Durkheim’s concepts of “organic
Solidarity” are particularly instructive as it lays emphasis on
social cohesion that flows from increasing interdependence. As he
postulates in his theory on the “Division of Labour in Society”;
in condition where the social systems is more heterogeneous than
homogenous and is marked by differentiation much more than
similarity, solidarity becomes crucial for the survival of the
whole.
In today’s context of globalization which coexists with and
sometimes gives rise to extreme disparities between North and South,
rich and poor and many other dichotomies; strong, vibrant and
sustainable partnerships at the national and international levels
take on added urgency for the attainment of social development goals
such as poverty eradication and the creation for more inclusive
societies.
There are many dimensions, complexities and challenges
involved in forging successful partnerships for social development,
as discussed in the excellent documentation provided by the
Secretariat. While recognizing the immense importance of the various
sub-themes being discussed my presentation will focus on the Impact
of Employment Strategies on Social Development.
The provision of access to employment is necessary for
social and economic development and must therefore be a priority
policy goal for every society. High rates of unemployment and
underemployment in developing countries and stagnation in job growth
in the developed world are critical challenges for the social
development policy agenda. It is estimated that globally 150 million
people are unemployed. In addition the growing informalization of
work is of major concern as workers in the informal sector lack
social protection and account for the majority of the working poor.
A recent ILO assessment of 42 countries which examined the informal
sector as a percentage of the total labour force found that in 17 of
these countries it accounted for more than half of all workers and
in only 4 countries less than 10%. In Tanzania for example, 67% of
the labour force was in the informal sector, in India 56% and in
Brazil 35%. Similarly a study of the informal economy in Jamaica
which has recently been completed indicates that 53% of the labour
force is engaged in non-formal work.
At the national level while governments have the primary
responsibility for the development of employment policies, the
social partners, in particular, employers,
trade unions and others and other workers organizations must
be fully involved in the process. However, strategies to attain the
goal of more and better jobs decent work transcend national
boundaries. The Report of the Secretary General which is before this
Session has reiterated the well known fact that the domestic
economies of developing countries are significantly impacted by
their heavy reliance on external trade and sources of financing,
international policies that influence capital flows, access to the
markets of developed economies and terms of trade.
In respect to employment strategies these factors often serve
as a doubled-edged sword resulting in job losses in many instances
and creating new job opportunities in some cases.
The call for international cooperation to address the issues
of volatility of financial markets and the promotion of
macroeconomic stability thrugh development aid, debt relief and
trade is fully endorsed.
International cooperation is also required to deal with
matters emanating from labour migration in the global economy.
Consensus is needed between receiving and sending countries
on a range of crucial issues including, social protection for
migrant workers and their families, difficulties associated with
socio-cultural integration and the impact of the brain drain on
developing countries in terms of their capacity for social and
economic development in the face of perceived loss of returns on
human capital investment. These
are complexities which must be tackled in the spirit of mutual
assistance, reciprocity and respect.
Jamaica for example has had longstanding arrangements for the
contractual employment of our farm workers in North America and more
recently Hotel workers. These
has been mutually beneficial in terms of filling the labour shortage
in the recipient countries (Canada and the United States) as well as
providing jobs for Jamaicans whose remittances have been very
important for the economic and social well being of their families
and also the foreign currency earnings of the country. On the other hand, the exodus of professionals whose training
was heavily subsidized by public funds has been problematic,
especially where there are extensive recruitment programmmes by the
recipient countries. This
requires urgent discussions to provide solutions to the issues at
hand.
At the level of CARICOM, there have also been important
developments in the free movement of labor in the region resulting
in a reciprocal social security agreement.
Mr. Chairman, trends associated with the globalized economy
have also had an impact on tripartism which has been a defining
feature of modern labour relations.
As observed by the ILO, the relationship between state,
labour and business has been significantly altered by policies of
economic liberalization which dictate that market forces rather than
mediation through social actions, legal norms or state intervention
determine economic outcomes. Within
this scenario there is need for reinforcement of the principle of
social dialogue, which strengthens the democratic process but
facilitates conflict resolution and effective policy implementation
as well as promotes social equity.
Social dialogue is essential both at national and
international levels and is a necessary ingredient for the
attainment of social development goals.
Thank you.
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