Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi at the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference

(June 09, 2011) A Vatican Official affirmed that the importance of new governance based on the principle of subsidiarity and tripartitism that gives the ILO an edge in integrating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work. In a globally integrated financial system that is characterized by speed, mobility and flexibility, the voice and advocacy of those who protect and promote the rights of workers and the dignity of labour is essential. Archbishop Silvano M Tomassi, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva said this on Wednesday at the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference. He added that these are critical and challenging times for developed countries as they are slowly emerging from a financial crisis of unprecedented depth whose consequences are evident across all sectors of societies. The experience of a weak economic recovery along with limited new job opportunities, high rates of unemployment have been the critical factor in these economies. Even in the developed countries the unemployment rates have been high. The Archbishop expressed his deep concern over the impact of unemployment on young people across the world. Further despite the significant progress that has been made in recent decades in reducing women’s discrimination in the workplace, women continue to be penalised in the labour market with a restricted access to several jobs. Domestic workers, in many countries also are living in miserable conditions and often remain excluded from labour laws and collective bargaining agreements. The Archbishop expressed that the ILO is very well situated to ensure that the process of re-assessment and reform of the global financial system, remains rooted in the concerns of the smallest and most vital units that make up modern society: the family, the workplace, the community.