IOE Amplifies Employers' Global Perspective in Crucial EU Dialogues

During the European Union Policy Forum on Development global meeting held from September 27 to 29, IOE, in collaboration with employer representatives from Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Senegal, brought a valuable private sector viewpoint to the forefront.

On a global scale, employers underscored the pivotal role played by the private sector in generating jobs, fostering trade, promoting socioeconomic development and the need for EU policies to align cohesively with existing local, national, and regional strategies and policies.

During the dialogue on addressing the shrinking civic space, IOE emphasised that employers from diverse regions are encountering obstacles when it comes to exercising their fundamental right to freely join an association and are being sidelined as the space for dialogue diminishes. Another session delved into the impact of digitalisation on the civic space, where IOE underscored the widespread and pressing need to develop digital skills and explored the potential role of digital tools in transitioning the informal economy through e-commerce and mobile banking.

Dr. Dzulzalani Eden, Senior Consultant specialising in Industrial Relations at the Malaysian Employers Federation, specifically highlighted the vital role of international trade in advancing development. Farooq Ahmed, representing the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, spoke at the panel on Urbanisation about how employers in Bangladesh, one of the world's most rapidly urbanising nations, are responding to the challenges posed by this development on local communities and infrastructure.

Climate and just transition were the focus of another panel with IOE highlighting that the approach to these issues requires analysis as there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. IOE Head of Stakeholder Engagement Stephanie Winet moderated a session on labour migration putting the spotlight on recruitment polices and addressing the global skills shortage.

In her final remarks after moderating the key takeaways and recommendations, IOE's Head of Projects and Programmes, Anetha Awuku, stressed to EU representatives that dialogue is not a box-ticking exercise and that continuous pathways need be found to make sure recommendations from non-State actors, including employers, are taken onboard and have an impact. 

On 24 October 2023 employers will attend a the meeting with Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen, along with other non-state actors, to highlight the business perspective on the EU Global Gateway The Global Gateway is a new ‘values based’ investment framework put forward by the EU will concentrate on leveraging resources from the EU, financial institutions, banking entities, and emerging financial structures to stimulate investments in the private sector that will support the delivery of optimal development outcomes. Employers have a pivotal role in the implementation of transformative and major infrastructure projects within this framework.

The EU Policy Forum on Development (PFD) brings together civil society organisations and local authorities from the EU and partner countries with European institutions and bodies.  Over the course of three days, six panels convened under the overarching theme of the PFD - "The Quest for Equality and Enlarging Civic Space."