Declaration of Ministers of Labour and Employment of IBSA

 1.         Following the call of Heads of State of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) expressed at the 4th IBSA Summit in Brasilia, 15 April 2010, to promote a job-intensive economic recovery and create a framework for sustainable growth, we, the Minister of Labour of South Africa, Ms Nelisiwe Mildred Oliphant, the Minister of Labour and Employment of India,           Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge and the Minister of  Labour and Employment of Brazil, Mr. Carlos Brizola Neto, met at the margins of the  101st International Labour Conference, in Geneva and agreed to the following Declaration.

2.         We reaffirmed our commitment to promote a response to the Global Economic Crisis through guidance from the

            1)         International Labour Organization Decent Work Agenda, and

            2)         the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization and the Global   Jobs Pact

3.         We exchanged views on measures to implement the four strategic objectives of the Decent Work Agenda, including discussions on 1) measures to  accelerate employment creation, 2) reduce informality and 3) create sustainable enterprises. We agreed that sustainable social protection systems are essential  to 1) assist the vulnerable, 2) prevent poverty, 3) address social hardship and 4) stabilize the economy.  To this end, we expressed  our commitment to strengthen respect for International Labour Standards, particularly the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.  We stressed the importance of social dialogue, especially to promote social cohesion (based on the Global Jobs Pact, particularly articles 11, 12, 14 and 15).

4.         We also underscored that the Decent Work Agenda is a key instrument and in addition, the accelerated flow of resources for the attainment of all Millennium Development Goals, in particular MDG 1 related to the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.  We reiterate our determination, in accordance with the target 1B of MDG 1, “to make the goals of full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people, a central objective of our relevant national and  international policies and our national development strategies”.

5.         We have agreed to further develop and promote South-South cooperation, inspired by the principles of solidarity, respect for national ownership, sovereignty and without conditionalities.  We expressed our determination to enhance local capacity in other developing countries in the area of Decent Work through mutual cooperation and sharing of best practices (based on paragraphs 18 and 20 of the Nairobi outcome document of the High-Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, approved by UN General Assembly Resolution 64/222).  Furthermore, this could be made effective to promote South-South Cooperation in order to contribute effectively to the implementation of the Decent Work Agenda and its four strategic objectives, as well as the Global Jobs Pact, in particular through a South-South Cooperation Programme with the ILO, as stated  in the Declaration of Intent signed between the IBSA countries  and the ILO on 22nd November 2010 (based on Declaration of Intent signed by India, Brazil, South Africa and the ILO, 22nd November 2010).

6.         We also recognized that developing countries face similar development challenges.  We reaffirmed our belief that Decent Work can benefit from South-South Cooperation, which can be particularly useful in the promotion of the Global Jobs Pact, of the 2008 Declaration of Social Justice for a Fair Globalization and of the 1998 Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (based on paragraph 17 of the Nairobi outcome document).

7.         We propose to create an IBSA tripartite Working Group on Decent Work, to meet at least once a year at the margins of the International Labour Conference, with the aim to:

            (a)        promote the exchange of views and experiences in the area of Decent Work;

            (b)        promote South-South Cooperation initiatives, including support to the        South-South Center  for the benefit of other developing          countries;
           (c)        foster dialogue between IBSA Governments, workers and employers as a way       to promote integration amongst India, Brazil and South Africa;
           (d)       share regional experiences in each one of the three continents of the            developing world; and
           (e)        coordinate positions and present common understandings at the deliberations of    the International Labour Organization.

Signed in Geneva in three copies in English and Portuguese on 12th June 2012.

In case of any differences in text, the English version will be considered authentic and legal and will prevail.