European Union

Statement

International Labour Conference

113^th session 

Geneva, 2-13 June 2025

________

Plenary

Adoption of the Resolution concerning the ILO’s tripartite input to the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025 

________

Geneva, 6 June 2025

- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY -

International Labour Conference

113th session 

Geneva, 2-13 June 2025

Plenary

Adoption of the Resolution concerning the ILO’s tripartite input to the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina* and the EFTA countries Norway members of the European Economic Area and Switzerland as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

1. We are pleased to adopt today the Resolution concerning the ILO’s tripartite input to the World Social Summit.

2. Let us first express our gratitude to all ILO constituents for contributing to achieve this resolution, to the Tripartite Working Party and its Members for their tireless work, as well as to the ILO Office for their guidance and support.

3. We welcome that this Resolution has taken into consideration the main elements of the tripartite key messages unanimously adopted at the 352^nd session of the Governing Body.

4. These messages have already played an important role in inspiring the draft Political Declaration.

5. As we have already stated, the Political Declaration should be anchored in human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and address major inequalities and transformative challenges in the world.

6. Social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace, eradicating poverty and promoting gender equality.

7. The world requires more solidarity and multilateral cooperation to deal with environmental, digital and demographic challenges, ensuring just transitions. The World Social Summit is crucial in this effort, serving as a forum where social issues take centre stage, which is key for restoring trust, cohesion, and solidarity.

8. We welcome the reference to a renewed global social contract with a human-centred approach.

9. The tripartite key messages and now this Resolution should continue to shape the Political Declaration, ensuring that the outcome of the Summit takes full account of these contributions from the ILO.

10. We should be proud of this tripartite achievement and we encourage all Member States in New York to echo these consensual, tripartite key messages, ensuring consistency with the messages conveyed by delegations during the intergovernmental negotiations of the Summit’s Political Declaration, thus avoiding a dichotomy between New York and Geneva.

11. We also encourage the Director General to continue all efforts to ensure that the consultation process in the preparation of Political Declaration remains open and inclusive, taking into account the views of social partners and of civil society, and where the central role of the ILO in promoting social justice, in particular through its normative framework, is sufficiently recognized.

12. We ask the Director General to ensure ILO’s contribution to the Summit is duly taken into account, to secure a central role for the ILO in the follow-up of the Summit, in coordination with the Working Party and ILO’s tripartite constituents.

13. Thank you Chair.

*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.