1. Governments
must live up to Copenhagen Commitment No. 3: “to promote
the goal of full employment as a basic priority of our economic
and social policies” by assuming their responsibilities with
coordinated action at international level to raise world economic
growth in response to the world economic and financial crisis
which began in Asia, in conjunction with decisive measures at
national level.
2. All governments
must commit the necessary resources to tackle unemployment nationally.
Governments in industrialised countries must commit much greater
resources to international development assistance to help developing
countries tackle their unemployment problems, which have been
exacerbated by the Asian crisis.
3. New and innovative
approaches are needed to tackle unemployment. Flexible ways to
handle unemployment payments are needed to facilitate the transition
from unemployment to employment without risking the loss of benefits
when low-paid jobs are taken. Work-sharing, reduced working time
and part-time retirement schemes, which have proven their success
in some countries, should be considered for adoption.
4. A positive
approach to provide “good-practice” models of successful
practices in reducing unemployment should be adopted. This would
enable comparison between different countries, both at international
level and at regional level including in the European Union (EU)
where a true “Social Europe” should be created. Similarly,
good, socially-responsible practices by employers should be encouraged
and reports on such approaches disseminated by employers’
organisations.
5. Vocational
training and education are a priority in all countries, entailing
a major national and international effort to eliminate child labour
and an increase in resources channeled to adult vocational training,
which in the European Union should receive 1% of gross national
product. The Vienna Summit of the EU should adopt this target
for all EU member states. Employers in both developing and industrialised
countries should contribute to the costs of such training (since
they will be among the main beneficiaries).
6. Governments
must tackle the specific needs of different categories of unemployed
people including women, long-term unemployed people, people from
ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and young people (who,
on average, face a level of unemployment twice the national average).
7. Adequate
social safety nets are required in all countries, with recognition
of the right of unemployed people to a reasonable standard of
living. Developing countries need to increase government resources
which should be backed up by increased development assistance.
8. It is essential to develop good quality, realistic statistics
as a basis for action, especially given the different definitions
of unemployment which, in some cases, artificially reduce the
apparent level far below its true degree.
9. Good quality
jobs are needed rather than the precarious, atypical employment,
often in the informal sector, which is presently on the increase.
All countries must respect the fundamental workers’ rights
(freedom of association, prohibition of forced labour, equal treatment
and a minimum age for employment) as referred to in the Copenhagen
Programme of Action. The small enterprises in the informal sector
should benefit from positive measures in order to bring them progressively
into the formal, legal sector.
10. Good quality
investment, including by multinational companies, should be encouraged.
A binding international agreement is needed to prevent the lowering
of fundamental workers’ rights as part of competition between
countries. This would attract foreign direct investment. The uneven
distribution of foreign investment between regions means that
some regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, receive very little
and so require increased assistance from the richer countries.
