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UN labour agency convenes expert panel on reducing globalization’s inequities

UN labour agency convenes expert panel on reducing globalization’s inequities

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Against a backdrop of heightened concern over the link between international security and economic development, the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) today announced plans to host a meeting on combating the inequities caused by globalization.

Against a backdrop of heightened concern over the link between international security and economic development, the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) today announced plans to host a meeting on combating the inequities caused by globalization.

The two-day meeting of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, set to open in Geneva on Monday, will seek to foster growth and reduce poverty in today’s integrated world. Its 25 members will work to identify how to promote a fair distribution of the benefits of economic integration.

The World Commission, which will hold a series of meetings over the course of this year, is co-chaired by Finland’s President, Tarja Halonen, and Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, who say the panel was formed in “response to the needs of the people as they struggle to cope with unprecedented changes which globalization has brought to their daily lives and to the landscapes of national societies everywhere.”

In a statement released today by the ILO, the two co-chairs said next week’s gathering would provide “a space to move from confrontation to dialogue, to review the facts and the perceptions, and an opportunity to seek a consensus for action on globalization.”

The formation of the World Commission drew strong endorsement from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who said it could “play an important role in creating a consensus on the facts about globalization and finding ways to make globalization work for all.”