World leaders call for urgent action to advance social justice at inaugural forum of Global Coalition for Social Justice

GENEVA, June 15: World leaders joined partners of the Global Coalition to call for stronger efforts to deliver social justice on Thursday.

According to a press statement issued by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the inaugural forum took place during the 112th Session of the International Labor Conference, in Geneva, Switzerland. It brought together more than 1,200 representatives from Coalition members during three high-level thematic dialogues around the following themes: building the resilience of societies; improving the coherence between economic and social policies; and fostering social dialogue for shared prosperity.

“Never has social justice been so crucial for humanity,” the statement quotes Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, who was the keynote speaker at the Inaugural Forum for the Global Coalition for Social Justice, as co-chair of the Global Coalition for Social Justice Coordinating Group. “No country can resolve the dilemmas that affect the international society on its own. We need to look for best practices and experiences wherever they are. The Global Coalition will be a central tool for building a transition with social justice, decent work, and poverty eradication,” he explained.

President Lula’s remarks were echoed by the President of Nepal, Ram Chandra Paudel, who also spoke at the forum. “We are happy to participate in the Global Coalition for Social Justice, to reaffirm our commitment to social justice, to reaffirm our faith in multilateralism,” he said.

He added that the Global Coalition would, “inspire everyone to unite through social dialogue to maintain social harmony and tolerance to achieve economic development and prosperity.”

The forum serves as an annual platform for Coalition partners to exchange insights and showcase initiatives aimed at advancing social justice. Since its inception, the Coalition has united over 290 partners including governments, employers’ organizations, workers’ organizations, and international entities.

The Forum, which took place on 13 June 2024, was opened with speeches by Luiz Marinho, Minister of Labour of Brazil and ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. The Forum also heard statements from Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Roberto Suarez Santos, Secretary General, International Organization of Employers; Luc Triangle, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation; and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization.