Towards a new role for the
private sector ?
Stakeholders meeting of the Belgian
development cooperation
Rudi Delarue
Director
ILO Office for the EU and the Benelux countries
Towards a new role for the private sector ?
• The debate is timely and welcomed
• ILO brings together the actors of the real economy:
employers, workers, governments of 183 countries
• ILO covers the world of work in an integrated way
combining economic efficiency with social justice
• Social, employment, economic, financial and
environmental policies go hand in hand
• Not economic growth versus human development
and governance
Towards a new role for the private sector ?
• A fragmented and isolated approach will not work:
for instance MDGs should not be taken in isolation; part of a more
integrated approach involving also inclusive growth, income
opportunities, income distribution and rights
• Effective public- private partnership
(PPP)/cooperation is essential for promoting
inclusive growth and sustainable development
• Private sector has an interest in promoting
governance and capacity building of public
institutions and private actors
Towards a new role for the private sector ?
• Interest in having mechanisms/systems
transforming growth into jobs into income and vice
versa
• Decent work including social protection floor
• Sustainable enterprises framework: includes CSR
but goes beyond (e.g. enabling public framework)
• Support for voice and representation of workers,
minimum wage fixing, minimum rules and
practices on health and safety at work, link
education with labour markets
• Promoting women entrepreneurship
• Role of private sector in fragile states
Support to private sector
• Not only classic private profit making organisations
• Social economy and cooperatives in Africa
• Capacity building of organisations of the private
sector such as employers and workers
organisations and of bodies promoting social
dialogue/representation
• Need for an actor based approach
• Not by general call for proposals targeting civil
society in general
• Donors should not create or support ad random/ad
hoc private sector organisations
• Potential in informal economy and rural sector
Towards a new role for the private sector?
Examples
• ILO helpdesk for business on international labour standards
• IFC and EBRD social and environmental guidelines for loans to
companies
• Better work addressing decent work deficits in a sector, region,
country: ILO, IFC, companies, public donors
• Combating child labour in cacao sector going beyond formal
economy of the supply chain
• Suggestion: PPP on strengthening labour inspection and
administration (instead of private audits and certification only)
• Health coverage initiatives in rural, informal, semi-informal and
formal economy (mutuelles) that can become part of a more
comprehensive system (social protection floor)
• Apprentiship systems, skills development and green economy
Thank you for the attention
Useful references
ILO helpdesk for Business on International Labour Standards
http://www.ilo.org/empent/Areasofwork/business-helpdesk/lang--en/index.htm
Framework for sustainable enterprises
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/--emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_093970.pdf
ILO reply to the EU Green paper on inclusive growth and sustainable development
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/eurpro/brussels/downloads/eugreenpaperiloreply.pdf
Social economy and cooperatives in Africa
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/afpro/addisababa/events/socialeconomyoct12_09.htm
Women entrepreneurship in Africa
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/afpro/addisababa/pdf/platformwed.pdf
The UN social protection floor initiative (inspired by South-South cooperation,
involvement of experts from developing countries, from emerging economies and
from EU)
http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/ShowMainPage.do