Many countries around the world face severe challenges when it comes to developing the economic potential of their rural regions. Morocco is an interesting case in point.

To make progress, the country relied on establishing agricultural cooperatives. Their goal was to build social cohesion and overcome problems such as depressed markets and stagnant production.

1111_2919_Morocco’s Future in Farming Cooperatives.pdf

Stakeholder Forum has produced a 'Summary of targets from proposals in the SDGs e-Inventory under the OWG’s 19 Focus Areas'. A section is devoted to targets and indicators related to employment and decent work for all.

Summary of targets from proposals in the SDGs e-Inventory under the OWG’s 19 Focus Areas
Putting stakeholders at the core of post-Rio+20 processes

Четыре основы формируют
каркас Достойного труда для
достижения устойчивого эко-
номического роста: фундамен-
тальные права в сфере труда,
занятость, социальная защита
и социальный диалог.

1111_3398_Report_Larisa-Zelentsova_2014-rus_eng-1.pdf

Suggestions for the resolution of the 52nd Session of the Commission for Social Development of the United Nations (11-21 February 2014, New York)

1111_3398_Suggestions for the resolution of the 52nd Session, Human Capital, Optima Project, UN, 12.02.14, Eng.docx

Предложение в резолюцию 52-ой сессии Комиссии
социального развития ООН (11-21 февраля 2014 года, Нью-Йорк)

1111_3398_Suggestions for the resolution of the 52nd Session, Human Capital, Optima Project, UN, 12.02.14, Rus.doc

Human capital becomes the
main active of a territory, inexhaustible
financial resource for its
development and competitiveness
on the arena of prominent
nations and their successful
global companies.

1111_3398_Report_Yuri-Alexeev_2014-eng.pdf

Человеческий капитал становится главным активом территории, неисчерпаемым финансовым ресурсом для её развития и обеспечения конкурентоспособности в масштабном соревновании с крупными державами и их успешными глобальными компаниями.

1111_3398_Report Alekseev Y., Human Capital, UN, 52nd Session, 12.02.14, Rus-1.doc

Необходимо обеспечить равные возможности, права и способности территориям для финансовой состоятельности для удержания своих "талантов". Каждая территория должна иметь ресурсы для воспроизводства человеческого капитала, для создания притягательной инфраструктуры для жизнедеятельности человека в согласии с природой.

1111_3398_Speech Alekseev Y., Human Capital, UN, 52nd Session, 12.02.14, Rus.doc

Every territory should have resources for reproduction of human capital and for creation of attractive infrastructure for human life in harmony with nature.
The main task is to retain talents in the territory.

1111_3398_Speech Alekseev Y., Human Capital, UN, 52nd Session, 12.02.14, Eng.doc

Social protection is a right. It is a coherent, rights-based approach to social policy, ensuring people’s access to basic services and social guarantees. Basic social protection is not or hardly available for the 1.6 billion people who live in extreme (or multidimensional) poverty. According to ILO estimates, about 20 per cent – or 1.4 billion people – have access to comprehensive social protection, while the remaining 4 billion people have access to only limited social protection coverage.

SPFs are nationally defined minimum levels of income security in the form of various social transfers as well as universal, affordable access to essential social services. Social protection programmes are an essential part of strategies that contribute to social, economic and sustainable development. The recently adopted UN Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights recommend the implementation of SPFs in all countries.

In order to achieve SPFs for all, International Movement ATD Fourth World proposes that "social protection and decent work" should be a stand-alone goal for Post 2015 Development agenda, and suggests new indicators under this goal.

1111_920_Social Protection Floor Proposals - ATD Fourth World.pdf

Social protection systems play an important role in poverty eradication and achieving inclusive development. Social assistance gives the poorest and most vulnerable a lifeline to maintaining a basic level of consumption – and consequently aggregate demand in an economy – and a means to access basic services such as healthcare and education. Social protection systems act as a safety net to support the economically vulnerable from falling into poverty traps during times of crisis. They also help redistribute wealth, guarantee social justice and ensure the right to a decent standard of living.

In the last 30 years, the prevailing approach has been to privatize the provision of social services and pension services, and strip away social regulations in order to encourage private investment. Governments have pursued cuts in social spending and introduced user fees, and encouraged for-profits to have a greater role in welfare provision. The result has been declining standards of education and healthcare for those with lower incomes, and less access to these services and water, electricity and housing.

The erosion of social protection has left the poor more vulnerable to shocks including illness and natural disasters. Market-based and targeted social protection has been promoted as more efficient and cheaper, but it has been the opposite. In many cases, these policies have led to fragmented social protection systems lacking accountability, limited access and higher access costs, and poor quality of service. Publicly-funded and universal systems are better suited for an approach to social provision based on rights, social justice and social solidarity.

THE CHALLENGE

Social protection is not charity or a commodity but a right. They guarantee the right to a decent standard of living which no one should fall below. The challenge is how to implement social protection systems which are managed effectively and can protect the needs of the most vulnerable. Governments need to assume a central role in social welfare provision which raises the standard of living of the poor and reduces overall inequality.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR PEOPLE’S GOALS MAKES THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS TO GUIDE A NEW DEVELOPMENT AGENDA TO:

Achieve universal social protection in line with but not limited to the recommendations set in the Bachelet Report and ILO Recommendation 202

Establish and maintain – according to national circumstances – national social protection floors that guarantee universal access to social services and basic income security for children, unemployed, disabled persons and the aged;
Build on existing social protection schemes, with a view to increasing social protection coverage from basic to higher levels towards universal coverage;
Integrate informal economy workers in social protection schemes;
Pursue non-stigmatizing affirmative action in favor of women, national minorities, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups;
Ensure coherence of social protection schemes with labor, macroeconomic industrial and agricultural policies as part of a long term development strategy;
Ensure long-term fiscal sustainability of social protection programs; pursue measures that will enhance fiscal space to allow for adequate social spending, including through economic and employment growth, reallocating spending, and reducing debt servicing; and
Ensure women’s particular sexual and reproductive health concerns are included in universal social protection schemes and ensure that they are not discriminated from accessing these schemes.
Protect and assist workers by pursuing labor market interventions.

Promote active programs including training and skills development and employment counseling as well as passive interventions including unemployment insurance, income support and favorable labor legislation.

The Campaign for People’s Goals for Sustainable Development reminds the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals that in order to achieve full employment, decent work for all and universal social protection, it is also necessary to address deep inequalities in wealth and resources between and within countries. It should acknowledge that prevailing neoliberal policies promoting economic growth through privatization, deregulation, liberalization and reduced government spending have increased inequalities and fueled human rights violations. The SDGs setting on the issue need to be based on enjoyment of human rights – including right to dignified work. It should also firstly acknowledge the value that workers bring to functional and inclusive communities, beyond their contribution to productivity, consumption and economic growth.

1111_5328_4th OWG Statement.docx

Earnings from labor make up the main source of income for the majority of the world’s population and yet people have to contend with poor labor conditions and payment. Many do not enjoy safe, decent employment which adequately compensates them for their labor, and this underpins continuing poverty and hunger. In addition, the multiple global crises have increased unemployment and precarious employment, and the crises are now being used as a pretext to legitimize lower labor protection and repression of trade unions. Limited growth since the crises began has been jobless and offers little hope for the poor.

Sustainable development cannot be achieved without considering how to generate secure, productive and decent jobs in urban and rural areas. Neoliberal policies have weakened the forces of job creation and degraded labor conditions. Free market reforms in trade and finance have crippled domestic industry and agriculture while favoring growth in export sectors that have little linkages to the domestic economy and are vulnerable to external shocks. Corporations have pursued labor flexibilization strategies such as off-shoring and part-time work to cut labor costs and maximize profits. They regularly move production to other countries with lower labor regulations driving a “race to the bottom”. Subsequently, governments have competed to lower wages, loosen labor laws and regulation and curb union powers in the aim of attracting and holding foreign investors. These policies have led to a decline in real wages and the rise in informal and precarious employment and exploitative working conditions and the erosion of workers’ rights. At the same time, there is a growing crisis in joblessness as the number of unemployed is reaching record levels around the world, with severe implications for social cohesion and stability. The struggle to be engaged in meaningful employment poses a particular threat for the youth and threatens development objectives to reduce poverty.

The consequences of these approaches are in full view. Many poor countries that are ill-prepared to provide jobs to their growing populations are dealing with social unrest and stagnant wages. Both domestic and world aggregate demand have collapsed as a consequence.

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge for all countries, particularly poor countries seeking to lift their people out of poverty, is to generate decent, productive and sustainable jobs for their growing populations. Governments must ensure full, productive employment and decent work for all based on international labor standards and gender equality.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR PEOPLE’S GOALS MAKES THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS TO GUIDE A NEW DEVELOPMENT AGENDA TO:

Ensure full employment and decent work for all.

Use trade, industrial, agricultural, and macroeconomic policies in a strategic fashion to promote long-term development of a country’s productive capacity and create decent jobs for the people;
Use labor and social policies to ensure that the benefits of increased productivity are shared by workers and the wider population, including a living minimum wage and employment benefits. Reduce wage inequalities between top and bottom wage earners, and aim to raise the share of wages in national income;
Invest in social and public work programs that create employment opportunities for the unemployed and in particular the youth as well as serving social needs; and
Foster investment in green, clean and sustainable sectors; invest in training the workforce for skills required in green jobs.
Uphold workers’ rights.

Ensure enforcement of international labor standards for all workers, including women, migrants and workers in the informal economy, with reference to the Decent Work indicators as elaborated by the ILO;
Uphold workers’ rights to organize and collective bargaining;
Enable greater participation of women in the workforce and close the gender pay gap; and promote the recognition and valuing of women’s domestic and care work as work;
Protect vulnerable workers rights in particular migrant workers and end child labor as defined by ILO; and
Promote awareness and education on workers’ rights and labor standards in workplaces.

Save the Children promotes a holistic post-2015 agenda that has poverty eradication at its core and is guided by universal, equitable and sustainable development approaches. This briefing highlights key recommendations for the fourth session of the Open Working Group on education, social protection, health and population dynamics, which are priority issues for Save the Children. These recommendations are based on the 10-goal framework proposed in our Ending Poverty In Our Generation report.

1111_3319_Save_the_Children_Submission_OWG4.pdf

Jobs are increasingly centre-stage in national and international policy debates, in recognition of the transformative role employment and decent work can play in poverty reduction, development and social stability.

This policy brief makes the case that providing additional employment opportunities and improving the conditions of existing jobs are both essential for chronically poor households to escape poverty. The focus here is on informal wage employment, on workers without employment-based social protection including casual labourers, industrial outworkers and unprotected contract workers.

1111_3029_Employment Policy Brief.pdf

The challenge of improving the quality and quantity of employment is often seen as a task solely for Ministries of Labour. However, a key message from this guide is that this challenge cross-cuts government ministries and departments. This particular policy guide is therefore intended for a range of policymakers including in ministries of labour, social welfare, local government and internal affairs as well as for programme designers and implementers who are working to reduce chronic poverty.

The guide identifies key areas and new emphases for policy and programme development to enable chronically poor people to work out of poverty, rather than be working and living in chronic poverty.

1111_3029_Employment Policy Guide.pdf

Unemployment is not problem of one country or another but is global issues.
Instead there are a range of biological, cultural, economic, social and psychological influencing factor most unemployment however can be prevented.
To promote awareness on the environment and sustainable development in African and enhance the building of local capacity required to drive the nation’s transition to a more sustainable development.

1111_322_1 million talents Project for youth in Africa and better jobs for young people.doc