MDGs and beyond: An ILO perspective

The goal of reducing extreme poverty rates by half under MDG (Millennium Development Goals) 1 was reached in 2010, five years ahead of deadline.

By 2011 the number of workers living on US$ 1.25 a day had reduced by 294 million compared to 2001. Progress was strong in developing countries in East and South-East Asia and Latin America.

However, much work remains to be done. 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty around the world, while 2.4 billion live on less than US$ 2 a day. Moving towards poverty eradication remains a top priority for the UN. This needs efforts to achieve stable, inclusive and job-rich economic growth.

Recognition that work and income is the principle route out of poverty led to the inclusion of a target under MDG1 on achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all.

The financial crisis followed by the Great Recession have hampered progress in this area and today over 200 million people remain unemployed worldwide, 75 million of whom are young people.

Some 670 million new jobs will be needed in the fifteen years from 2015 to 2030, to keep up with the growth of the world's working age population. But to make a difference in the lives of working women and men, we have to make sure that these jobs are decent and productive.

How has the ILO responded to the challenges presented by the global financial crisis?

Aurelio Parisotto: Poverty and hunger will not be eradicated without creating decent and productive jobs in substantial numbers and put simply that's what the ILO advocates for.

ILO knowledge derived from project experience on the ground and research and analysis in areas essential to poverty reduction have helped inform policy decisions at national levels before and since the crisis.

At the peak of the global financial crisis, governments and employer and worker organizations of the ILO's member states agreed on a framework of action to promote a jobs rich crisis recovery.

The 2009 Global Jobs Pact provides a range of tested crisis-response and recovery measures that focus on employment and social protection. Countries that implemented Jobs Pact like policies have fared better in recovering from the crisis. Nations in Latin America and Asia for example first addressed the structural factors underlying poverty and underemployment.

They focused on making economic growth more inclusive by combining policies to foster investment and enterprise creation with measures to extend social protection and strengthen labour markets.

Other important elements of success included stable and sound government institutions committed to the rule of law, human rights, property rights and a suitable environment for starting and growing businesses.

Labour market policies and institutions such as minimum wages and employment protection legislation also played a role.

"Today, as part of our contribution to accelerating progress on the MDGs, we are assisting countries in its efforts to improve job opportunities by means of investment in employment-intensive infrastructural activities, training and skills formation, enterprise creation and cooperatives, access to micro-financing and business development services," an ILO spokesman said.

"We are also helping strengthen social security systems and develop national social protection floors. Our work is grounded in international labour instruments and social dialogue, and aims at reinforcing national capacities up to and beyond 2015," he said.

- ILO