Team Blitz India
GENEVA: The third meeting of Employment Working Group (EWG), held under India’s G20 presidency, concluded in Geneva on June 2.
The three-day meeting started on May 31 at the headquarters of International Labour Organisation and was attended by delegates from 78 G20 members, invitee countries, guest countries, and international organisations.
Organised as a G20 tradition alongside ILO’s annual international labour conference in Geneva, EWG aims to address pressing employment challenges. The meeting concluded on a positive note, with all members reaching a broad agreement on the draft ministerial communique and outcome documents pertaining to the priority areas.
Good progress
The discussions began with a comprehensive update on the progress towards the Antalya and Brisbane Targets presented by ILO and OECD. Noteworthy strides were made in achieving these objectives; however, countries were encouraged to expedite their efforts to ensure successful attainment.
Subsequently, meticulous line-byline discussions and extensive negotiations took place over the course of three days, skillfully guided by Chair Arti Ahuja, with the aim of reaching consensus on all significant matters.
Key outcomes proposed under India’s presidency include the development of an international reference classification of occupations based on skill and qualification requirements.
This initiative aims to enhance cross-country comparability and mutual recognition of skills and qualifications. Additionally, the coverage of ILO and OECD’s Skills for Jobs database will be expanded to G20 countries, providing comparable indicators to globally map skill gaps.
Social security
The G20 countries also committed to ensuring adequate social protection for all individuals, including gig and platform workers, and to establish sustainable financing for social protection measures.
A significant milestone achieved was in building consensus on the outcomes related to the three key priority areas. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks from the chair, acknowledging the contributions of stakeholders, particularly ILO and Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Geneva, in successfully organising the event.
The fourth and final meeting of EWG, along with the Labour and Employment Ministers Meeting, is scheduled to take place in Indore, from July 19 to 21.
