Global Deal Newsletter

No 2 March 2018

GLOBAL DEAL NEWSLETTER

We are pleased to share the second edition of the Global Deal newsletter with you.

The final quarter of 2017 was an intensive and productive period for the continuously growing Global Deal partnership. From September to January, the partnership grew substantially – from about 40 to 75 partners – and it´s now approaching 80 partners. You can find the full list of partners here.

Below you can read about the progress made. Many activities have taken place to further the objectives of the partnership – to contribute to decent work, quality jobs and increased productivity, and by extension to greater equality and inclusive growth.

In the coming months the work will continue to focus on the three key elements of the partnership: i) accelerating action through voluntary commitments by partners, ii) increasing the knowledge base about social dialogue and sound industrial relations, and iii) facilitating the exchange of experiences and best practices.

You can also follow the work of the Global Deal on the website www.theglobaldeal.com.

Did you miss the first newsletter? Read it here.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Strategic plan set for 2018

A strategic plan was discussed and later agreed upon together with Global Deal associated partners at the end of 2017. The strategic document is intended to guide the work of the Global Deal during the coming year. It defines the Global Deal vision, voluntary commitments, expected outputs and activities, governance and follow-up of the Global Deal partnership.

Launch of a thematic brief on the business case for social dialogue

In September 2017, a thematic brief called the ‘Business Case for Social Dialogue’ was published. The publication highlights some key insights about the effectiveness and potential of social dialogue in fostering stability, equity, productivity, sustainable enterprises and inclusive growth. The study identifies key insights for achieving decent work and inclusive growth, including the fact that social dialogue can play a key role in sharing the gains, adjusting to shocks, preserving employment, protecting workers and improving firm performance. In addition, the study underlines that social dialogue facilitates adjustment to recovery from economic crisis, and enables upgrading and offsets risk in supply chains.

The study was produced by the ILO, the OECD and the Global Deal support unit and can be downloaded here.

Group of senior advisors established

In November, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven announced the establishment of a group of Senior Advisors to the Global Deal. The role of the advisors is to provide strategic advice to the Global Deal and the upcoming Flagship Report. The group consists of seven advisors with long experience of leading roles in the private sector, trade unions, government, academia and civil society.

“In the current poisonous environment, with the rise of distrust and populism, how to maintain and strengthen social dialogue is a priority. The senior advisors come from different horizons, each with our own expertise, and I look forward to putting our wisdom in common.”
- Oliver Blanchard, member of the group, and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Senior Advisors are:

Olivier Blanchard, professor and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Natalia Brzezinski, CEO of Symposium Stockholm and the Brilliant Minds Foundation
Sabina Dewan, President and Executive Director of the JustJobs Network
Jason Furman, former chief economist of President Obama
José Antonio Ocampo, co-director of Colombia´s central bank and former Under Secretary-General of the United Nations
Emmanuelle Wargon, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Business Sustainability Integration at Danone

Find out more about each advisor here.

National Global Deal meeting in Paris, France, on 21 December 2017 hosted by the French Minister of Labour Muriel Pénicaud.

Wide national support for Global Deal in France

Since French President Emmanuel Macron announced France’s support for the Global Deal in November, France has mobilised wide national support for the initiative. On 21 December 2017, the French Minister of Labour, Muriel Pénicaud, hosted a French Global Deal meeting in Paris. A total of 15 French multinational companies and four trade unions have now joined the partnership, and a national Global Deal platform is being established to support and inspire the national work with the Global Deal. Read a longer article about the French engagement here.

Q&A WITH A PARTNER

One of the French companies that joined the Global Deal is the concession and construction company VINCI. We asked Franck Mougin, Executive Vice-President in charge of Human Resources and Sustainable Development at VINCI, three quick questions about their engagement in the Global Deal.

Why did VINCI decide to join the Global Deal?
At VINCI, we share the vision of the Global Deal according to which social dialogue is an essential tool for generating decent jobs and promoting inclusive growth for the benefit of all. It was then a natural and easy decision for us to make. We believe joining the Global Deal initiative will support our continuous efforts to develop and disseminate effective and innovative social dialogue mechanisms everywhere we operate.

What role do you see that the Global Deal can play?
The partnership and multi-stakeholder approach promoted by the initiative provide key spaces for dialogue at both local and global levels where all involved stakeholders - businesses, trade unions, governments, international organisations etc. - can engage and talk. Sharing experiences and best practices and offering a neutral and common space for exchange on concept,methodology, measurement and mechanisms are among the added value offered by the Global Deal.

What will be VINCI’s main contributions to the partnership?
At VINCI, we are also convinced that solutions are to be local in order for the response and approach to be effective and operational. One example of this approach is the framework agreement on workers’ rights we signed in November 2017 with Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and Qatari Diar VINCI Construction (QDVC). In a general manner, we would be very pleased to share, through the Global Deal, our own experience as well as our questions on the challenges we face in order to collectively progress.

OTHER EVENTS

Speakers at the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2017 in New York, USA.

High-Level Follow-up Meeting in New York

In September 2017, one year after the Global Deal was launched, a high-level meeting hosted by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven was held as a session of the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit in New York. The aim of the meeting was to take stock of the progress made one year after the launch, and an impressive line-up of high-profile leaders took part and declared their support for the partnership. The meeting was very well attended and got over half a million views online. To read more about the event, click here and to watch it click here.

Global Deal side-event during World Bank Group and IMF annual meetings

During the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF in September 2017 in Washington DC, Swedish Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson hosted a Global Deal side-event. In addition, speakers included Keith Hansen, VP for Human Development at the World Bank Group, Sharan Burrow, General Secretary at the International Trade Union Confederation, Deborah Greenfield, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy and Natalia Brzezinski, CEO of Brilliant Minds and Symposium Stockholm and senior advisor to the Global Deal. Under the headline ‘The future of work, technology change and the Global Deal’, they discussed what effect technology will have on job creation in developing countries, and what role enhanced social dialogue and sound industrial relations can play in a changing world of work. The panellists agreed that social dialogue is an effective tool to efficiently adapt to changes in the labour market, but also in a broader context.

Global Deal Forum in Tunisia

On 30 October 2017, representatives of the Swedish and Tunisian governments, trade unions and business organisations met for a half-day meeting to exchange experiences and deepen the Global Deal relations. Some of the participants included Swedish Minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde and Tunisian Minister of Social Affairs Mohammed Trabelsi. Read more about the event here and watch a short video below.

Selected highlights from the Global Deal Forum in Tunisia.

Global Deal and trade seminar

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven hosted a high-level seminar about the Global Deal and trade in Geneva on 22 November 2017 together with WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo. Prominent speakers representing academia, business, trade unions, governments and other organisations, including ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, discussed how the benefits of trade can be better shared. To watch the full seminar, click here.

Ahead of the seminar, a discussion paper entitled ‘Global Deal and trade – harnessing the benefits for greater development, equality and growth’ was circulated to spur the discussions. The paper was authored by Sabina Dewan, President and Executive Director of the JustJobs Network, and Jens Suedekum, professor at Henrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf. Read the paper here and watch the highlights below.

Selected highlights from the Global Deal and trade seminar in Geneva.

As a follow-up the WTO and the Swedish government will be working jointly to deepen research in this area by compiling a dossier of adjustment policies in selected countries.

Senior Officials Meeting in Geneva

On 23 November 2017, representatives of all partners to the Global Deal gathered in Geneva for a Senior Officials’ Meeting. The aim was for partners to meet, share experiences and deepen their knowledge about the Global Deal. Partners discussed and later agreed on a strategy for the coming year, and gave valuable input to the strategic direction of the partnership. The meeting was a milestone for the partnership and showed the commitment of the partners to contribute to the future development of the Global Deal to reach its objectives.

Roundtable discussion with Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)

On 4 December 2017, the ETI invited its members to a roundtable discussion in London to discuss the Global Deal and the thematic brief on the Business Case for Social Dialogue. Around 25 people gathered to share experiences and challenges, and to learn about the Global Deal.

Speakers at the event were Jimmy Donaghey from Warwick Business School, the Swedish Ambassador in London Torbjörn Sohlström and Josefin Unger Belin from the Global Deal Secretariat. The discussion was facilitated by Peter McAllister, Executive Director of ETI.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Global Deal Flagship Report

A Global Deal Flagship Report will be launched on 18 May in Paris. The report will outline the global state of social dialogue and inclusive growth, as well as provide policy recommendations. The report will also showcase commitments made by Global Deal partners aimed at enhancing social dialogue and sound industrial relations. Details about the launch will be posted on the Global Deal website.

National and regional Global Deal events

Several seminars and workshops will take place in Global Deal-associated countries in the coming months. More information will be posted on www.theglobaldeal.com.

International support unit

From September 2018, it is envisioned that the Global Deal support unit will be moved from its current location in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Sweden. Building on the already strong cooperation with the ILO and the OECD, the aim is to establish a joint OECD/ILO support unit.

The Global Deal is now on Twitter! Follow us for regular updates at https://twitter.com/theglobaldeal and use the hashtag #GlobalDeal.

CONTACT

The Global Deal Support Unit
globaldeal@gov.se

www.theglobaldeal.com

https://twitter.com/theglobaldeal
#GlobalDeal

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