At labour forum, Annan urges action on jobs to stem economic damage from terror attacks

Addressing the Global Employment Forum in Geneva today, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for "coalitions of common cause" to stem rising unemployment resulting from the September terrorist attacks against the United States.

"The ramifications of 11 September go far beyond peace and security concerns - they will also have a severe and multiple impact on human security," Mr. Annan told some 700 participants at the Forum, which was convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO). He said that while it was as yet impossible to forecast the full consequences, "we know millions of people will become more vulnerable to poverty than before."

The attacks spurred falling commodity prices, political tension, lower oil prices, lower investment, loss of tourism revenues, escalating trade costs and movements of refugees, noted Mr. Annan, adding that this will take a toll "on many of those who can least afford it." The World Bank already estimates that a further 15 million people could find themselves living in poverty next year, while the ILO has calculated that more than 24 million people will become unemployed.

Emphasizing the need to provide decent jobs for all, the Secretary-General pointed out that no single country or actor could take on the challenge alone. "Governments cannot do it without business, and business cannot do it without labour and civil society at large," he said. "We need genuine coalitions for change, in which all of us unite our efforts behind a common purpose."

The Forum is currently discussing a Global Agenda for Employment, which calls for an alliance of the UN, its specialized agencies, the Bretton Woods Institutions, national policymakers, employers and trade unions. Mr. Annan observed that the Agenda "rightly defines this approach as the only way to achieve one of our most central development goals: putting jobs at the centre of economic and social policies, in order to create more opportunities and decent work for all."

Only by working in coalitions of common cause, he said, "can we help those living in poverty today, and vulnerable to poverty tomorrow."

The three-day Forum marks the first tripartite gathering of governments, workers and business addressing employment issues since the 11 September attacks severely disrupted the labour market and accelerated a widespread economic downturn.