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First of all, I would like to apologize for not being able to be in Georgetown with you for this important meeting.
But we have wonders of technology, and by this means I convey to you the greetings of our Director General, Juan Somavia, and my own. As you know Ministers of Labour and Labour Ministries have a crucial role to play in the time and circumstances in which we are living. Last year we experienced a global crisis that hit the real economy and had an immediate adverse impact on jobs. And in the Caribbean region you know this well. The worst of the crisis is over, we are being told. But there is a new challenge to be faced, because the economic recovery does not translate automatically into jobs. When there is a crisis, jobs are lost quickly, but it takes a long time to get those jobs back when the economy recovers. But we cannot assume this as a reality we need to act. As you know, the ILO constituents have responded to the global jobs crisis. As part of this response, one year ago at the International Labour Conference we identified the need to accelerate a jobs- rich recovery. Prime Minister Golding of Jamaica addressed the Global Jobs Summit in Geneva. He agreed with the conclusion of the ILO constituents of more than 100 countries, that there can be no recovery without a jobs recovery. We need to put full and productive employment and decent work at the heart of the crisis response. As our Director General Juan Somavia said recently, “We need the same policy decisiveness that saved banks now applied to save and create jobs and improve the livelihoods of people”. At the 2009 International Labour Conference, Government, employer and worker representatives adopted a Global Jobs Pact. This Pact calls for an integrated approach to overcoming the crisis. It is grounded in the belief that good policies, implemented in an integrated way, nationally and coordinated internationally, can accelerate a jobs-rich recovery. The Pact contains a balanced set of tried and tested measures to promote a robust response to the employment challenge by focusing on accelerated employment generation, sustainable social protection systems, respect for labour standards, and strengthening social dialogue. You know that the Global Jobs Pact is not a one-size-fits-all solution for the creation of jobs after the crisis. On the contrary, each country’s approach is tailored to its situation and possibilities. Each country can adapt the Pact to its own realities. I am sure that the contents of the Pact will be part of your discussions on policy coherence. The measures needed to face the job crisis have been of great concern in the Caribbean region. And this was clearly expressed in the Declaration and Plan of Action that was adopted at a tripartite Caribbean conference on the Crisis held in Kingston, Jamaica in April 2009. I would like to thank the director of the ILO Caribbean office in Port of Spain, Dr. Ana Teresa Romero, and her team, for having partnered with the CARICOM Secretariat to organize this Conference of Ministers of Labour. The ILO is pleased that the CARICOM Secretariat agreed to put labour on the agenda of the Council for Human and Social Development. This is a sign of our strong partnership. CARICOM and the ILO have a Cooperation Agreement that dates back to 1982. I have no doubt that this Labour Ministers’ Meeting will help us to strengthen our cooperation in promoting Decent Work and human development in the regional integration process. We look forward to receiving the conclusion of the meeting because we know by experience of the great technical capacity and political will that characterizes the Caribbean. Thank you for your kind attention. I wish you a successful Meeting.
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