Special Meeting of the Economic and Social Council on the future of work

Event to watch live on UN WEBTV and LIVE CEPAL

BACKGROUND

The ECOSOC convened a special meeting of the Council on “The future of work: towards a productive, inclusive, and sustainable global society," which took place on 23-24 January 2024 at the Headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.

Labour markets are undergoing unprecedented transformation, owing to factors such as technological advancement, global economic integration and the green transition. While rapid changes in the labour market can garner significant benefits, adaptation can be a difficult process.

These global trends, together with institutional and policy changes, have benefited some sectors of the labour market while creating disruption in others particularly for the most vulnerable groups, including low-skilled workers and those in the informal sector.

Gender gaps and barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the world of work still persist and the growth of the informal sector has resulted in precarious employment and limited access to social protection.

The changing nature of work calls for decisive action.

OBJECTIVES

The Special Meeting of ECOSOC served as an opportunity to discuss policy recommendations to:

1. Harness the opportunities that changes in the labour market brought and manage the challenges they posed to decent work;
2. Explore the opportunities and limitations of technological advances and digitalization, including AI, and its impacts on the labour market while addressing the challenges of the digital divide;
3. Identify policy options for advancing skills acquisition to build resilience and increase adaptation to labour transitions, with a view to accelerating progress on the SDGs;
4. Distill targeted efforts toward vulnerable groups such as women, youth, and migrants.

OUTCOME

The outcome of the meeting was a summary by the President of ECOSOC, which aimed to serve as an input to the 2024 Summit of the Future and potentially to the World Social Summit if convened in 2025.

STATEMENTS

• Remarks by H.E. Mr Juan Somavia
• Remarks by H.E. Mr Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN and vice-president of the ECOSOC

DOCUMENTATION

• Programme
• Bios
• Information Note for Participants
• Briefing on Logistic Information

NOTE: The Special Meeting of ECOSOC will be opened to the participation of Major Groups and other Stakeholders and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC. For speaking roles as panelists and discussants, members of MGoS should direct any questions to the co-chairs of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders Coordination Mechanism for further information on the nomination process. NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC will be considered for speaking roles on the basis of their thematic and substantive expertise. In addition, there will be opportunities for civil society representatives to participate in the interactive dialogues from the floor. For those NGOs in consultative status and MGoS who would like to attend the meeting and engage in the interactive discussions, please register your interest using the link below, with the requisite documentation as soon as possible, before 22 December 2023. Registration for the meeting does not imply approval of participation. Registrations will be reviewed in due course and a confirmation of participation will be issued once your registration has been approved. Please ensure also to review the information note for further details on participation.     
The registration for the Special Meeting can be found here: Special meeting of ECOSOC on the future of work: towards a productive, inclusive and sustainable society (23-January 24, 2024): Registration · eventos (Indico) (cepal.org)