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Jobs and livelihoods in the post-2015 development agenda: Meaningful ways to set targets and monitor progress
ILO, 2013
by: International Labour Organization (ILO)

ILO Concept Note No. 2

The first results of the consultations on post- 2015 development goals launched by the United Nations (UN) indicate that job creation is a pressing need and top priority in almost all countries and will remain a major challenge well beyond 2015. Concerns about the lack of jobs have been voiced consistently in national meetings and online discussions – from Albania and Bolivia to Uganda and Viet Nam, and every- where in between. Many participants have also focused on the need for better social protec- tion, especially where jobs are in the informal and unorganized sectors and where economic and social insecurity is high (UNDG, 2013).

Those voices resonate with policy-makers in countries in all regions. In the developing world, improved jobs and livelihoods are an indispen- sable means to eradicate poverty and estab- lish a virtuous circle of expanding and inclusive economic growth. In the Arab world, the events of the past few years have made it clear that countries can rank among the top Millennium Development Goal (MDG) performers for pro- gress in health and education and yet suffer from distressed labour markets, leading to social and political unrest. In the developed world, a num- ber of countries face unprecedented jobless- ness, particularly among youth, and will strug- gle with the resulting scars for many years to come. Jobs are truly an urgent global concern. The future development framework cannot ne- glect that reality and still be relevant to the world’s citizens. This element of development was not fully addressed in the MDG framework.

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