Chair,

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

The Candidate Countries Moldova, the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Türkiye and Ukraine, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU and its Member States would like to commend the Office for this excellent report on the follow up of the resolution concerning the third recurrent discussion on employment, document INS 3/1 and for the continued support in the development and implementation of comprehensive employment policy frameworks.
2. If the resolution on employment policies resulting from the third recurring discussion is relevant and fundamental, the linked plan of action that covers the period 2022–2027 is strategic and essential.
3. We are conscious that the plan will operate in a very complex historical, economic and social period characterized by global uncertainty, stemming from the massive economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions with the linked consequences of inflation, financial turmoil, high debt burdens and global supply chain disruptions.
4. At the same time, long-lasting challenges on the labour market persist, both in terms of the level and quality of employment, as highlighted by the high rate of informal work, skills inadequacy, persistent and growing in work poverty, inadequate wages, uneven and mostly weak wage growth, low productivity, lack of proper social protection, labour rights violations in global supply chains and inequalities.
5. Considering that construction of peace and social justice are the basis for full employment,  a healthy productivity of the labour market and the realization of decent work and people’s well-being, we  strongly believe that the plan of action, in line with  the conclusions adopted following the third recurrent discussion on employment held at the 110th Session of the International Labour Conference, must be concrete, consistent with other strategic objectives of the ILO Decent Work Agenda, in accordance with the Social Justice Declaration, the Centenary Declaration and the Global Call to action.
6. The same plan takes into account and benefits from synergies linked to other plans of action adopted by the Governing Body, including the plans of action on social protection for 2021–2026 and on inequalities in the world of work for 2022–2027, as well as the plans of action on skills and lifelong learning, on decent work and the social and solidarity economy that are interrelated and to be discussed at the current session of the Governing Body.
7. The European Union and its Member States fully share and strongly support the achievement of the objectives of the proposed action plan and the six interrelated components: the promotion of the coherent macroeconomic and sectoral policies for human-centred recovery and job creation, including in the green, circular, digital and care economies; the creation of an environment conducive to more sustainable and productive businesses; the strengthening of worker’s protection, the need to ensure quality of employment and tackle inequalities; the strengthening of standards-related actions; the actions to improve the implementation to support through more responsive technical assistance, knowledge development and partnerships; the reaffirmation of the mandate and leadership of the ILO within the multilateral system and  the promotion of policy coherence  in the light of the guiding principles contained in the Conclusions.
8. We underline the strategic role of the plan to support Member States and strengthen the role          played by the social partners in addressing the complexity of economic, energy and social crises, together with the numerous challenges and changes in the labour market including through needs assessments and definition of economic, environmental and social policies, as well as in the promotion of peace and resilience.
9. Noting that the plan of action uses all the ILO’s means of action and builds on previously agreed actions and commitments contained in the Programme and Budget for 2022–2023 and in the proposed Programme and Budget for 2024–2025, in line with the ILO’s results framework.
10. Taking into account the possible adjustments, connected to ongoing evolving national, regional and global priorities, the European Union and its Member States support the proposed draft decision, underlining the strategic relevance of employment development  while seeking to meet additional financing requirements, to the extent possible, by reprioritizing within existing budgets and/or through renewed resource mobilization efforts, in accordance with the availability of sufficient resources for the activities of the Office in implementing the plan of action.

Thank you Chair.

*The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.