ILO welcomes G20 commitment to inclusive recovery from COVID-19 crisis

The International Labor Organization Director-General, Guy Ryder, has welcomed the commitment of the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers to a job-centric focus for COVID-19 recovery plans.

This was affirmed on September 10, 2020, in a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia, where he updated the G20 ministers on global market development, the Covid-19 impact as well as progress made towards the achievement of the G20 Brisbane goal.

Ryder said, “It is critical and urgent for the G20 to take large-scale coordinated measures to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on labour markets and societies.”

“We need solidarity, commitment and vision on a global scale.

“G20 has a unique opportunity to adopt policies to counter the inequalities exposed by COVID-19, and create the foundations for the better, fairer systems that people are demanding,” he added.

Ryder stated that G20 has a unique opportunity to adopt policies to counter the inequalities exposed by COVID-19, and create the foundations for the better, fairer systems that people are demanding.

The Ministers acknowledged that more needs to be done to achieve the G20 Brisbane goal, and they committed to ensuring that recent falls in women’s labour force participation do not become structural.

“We know this crisis has had an unequal impact on women. The hard-won but modest gains made towards gender equality in recent years are likely to be wiped out,” said Ryder.

“We need targeted policies and funding to close gender gaps, support women entrepreneurs, improve working conditions, and boost the care economy,” he stated.

The Declaration also highlights the “vital role” of social protection, saying that “the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for strong social protection systems to support all workers and their families”.

It commits the G20 to “adapting and improving our social protection systems to provide access to adequate social protection for all”, including women, youth, the self-employed, platform and own-account workers, and those in informal employment.

The G20 ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to promoting the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work , in particular in global supply chains and the digital economy.