The ILO Departments on Conditions of Work and Equality and International Labour Standards propose the organisation of a special session on "Normative Frameworks for Social Justice" under the auspices of the Global Coalition for Social Justice and its thematic priorities on inequalities and human rights/labour rights.
The session will bring together renowned academics and senior policy makers to explore the economic impact of normative frameworks that protect workers rights as human rights, promote non-discrimination and opportunities for decent work, establish frameworks for social dialogue, reduce inequalities, and promote social justice. The session seeks to understand how, and under what conditions, labour standards and labour regulation promote inclusive economic development and ensures a fair distribution of the fruits of economic progress.
A productive starting point for this discussion is to consider what is the economy meant to address and how labour policies influence labour markets. How can economic, social, and regulatory policies vis-à-vis the labour market contribute to development and increased well-being in developing countries? This would require re-conceptualizing economic and social progress, based on the key role of the world of work, providing a deeper understanding of the relationship between economic growth, human wellbeing, human rights, reduction in inequalities, and sustainable development.
The session will include the following panellists:
- Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner, UN-OHCHR
- Manuela Tomei, ADG for Governance, Rights and Dialogue
- Radhika Balakrishnan, Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University and faculty director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University
- Simon Deakin, Professor of Law and Director, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge
The panel will follow an interactive model with a facilitator guiding the discussion. The two senior policy makers will launch the discussion by presenting their political vision. This will then be discussed by the remaining panel members, followed by an interactive exchange with the participants.
The OHCHR senior representative will present the Human Rights Economy, a transformative approach to economic policy rooted in human rights, equality, and environmental sustainability. The HR Economy seeks to address the growing global challenges of poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation by centering economic systems around the protection and fulfilment of human rights, prioritizing economic, social, and cultural rights, aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and other international instruments aiming to ensure that economic policies, trade agreements, and business practices are guided by human rights principles that address systemic inequalities and discrimination.
The ILO senior representative will emphasize the complementarities between ILO’s normative framework and development outcomes, given the primacy of the world of work in discourses on development. These normative frameworks underline the Global Coalition for social justice which seeks to advance social justice by promoting workers’ protection and rights, job opportunities and social protection, reduction and prevention of inequalities and social dialogue. Moreover, the ILO representative will draw on the findings contained in the forthcoming State of Social Justice Report as well as ILO policy research to illustrate the importance of labour standards and rights-based frameworks to promote developmental outcomes in the context of significant inequalities and divides in the world of work.
Professor Radhika Balakrishnan will participate remotely in order to present findings from a study commissioned by the ILO which examines … “what is the economy for”, particularly in the current times of uncertainty and inequalities. She will speak to the normative foundations of economic policies, what are the criteria we use to judge if economic policies are working, and in this context delve into the links between macroeconomic policies and labour policies.
Professor Simon Deakin will present on the Impact of Labour Laws on the Labour Share of National Income, Productivity, Unemployment and Employment. He will be drawing on the initial results of research based on the extension of the CBR Labour Regulation Index (CBR-LRI) to include changes in labour laws around the world over the last decade. The presentation will focus on the evolution of worker protection through labour laws and their effects on productivity. He will deliberate on the need to redress asymmetries of information and resources between labour and capital, and the role of labour laws to help overcome barriers to coordination and promote cooperation.
At the close, the facilitator will summarize the key messages from the event.
