Foreign Minister in tribute to Ambassador Somavia for his work "in pursuit of social justice and human dignity"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Ampuero, participated today in the closing session of the seminar "Decent Work and 2030 Agenda: The challenges of labour governance", organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The purpose of the meeting was to address the governance challenges arising from Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDOs) which states "to promote steady, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all".
A tribute was paid to Ambassador Juan Somavia, who has been the only Chilean and Latin American to hold the post of Director of the ILO, in addition to various functions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including director of the Diplomatic Academy. "We pay tribute to the trajectory of an illustrious Chilean who has represented the interests of our country in different multilateral instances, working especially and tirelessly for social justice and human dignity," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He added that "Somavia built a new conceptualization around the world of work. Thanks to his impulse, it is recognized that work is much more than a means of subsistence or an economic variable; it is also composed of other founding elements: jobs with a moral outlook, welcoming the fair human aspirations to decent jobs, and the commitment of States to an inclusive globalization, which at the same time is responsible for the environment, where the rights of workers and the benefits of economic growth are fair and equitable for all".
During his speech, the Chancellor stressed the importance of the ILO, which has built "a forward-looking view of the changes to come in this globalized and constantly evolving world".
Thus, the Minister stressed that the new challenges of the world of work entail certain particularities: "They are global in nature, are transversal in society and have the potential to catalyze the development of countries. Issues such as population ageing, environmental protection and technological transformations are just some of the factors included in this context".
And in this line he added: "I firmly believe that the way to face these challenges is through public policies that take into consideration a citizenry that increasingly demands greater commitment and participation in decision-making, always bearing in mind the role of workers in the work of a country, because, as our recognized friend Juan Somavía would say: "The quality of work defines the quality of a society", a phrase that today makes more sense than ever".
The Minister also made special mention of "a distinctive element of the ILO which, in my opinion, is the way to build a more just and peaceful society, I am referring to tripartite dialogue; the bridge by which the different actors in the world of work come together to build agreements for the common good of society".
