The ISSA Secretary General Hans-Horst Konkolewsky addresses the 99th  International Labour Conference

Important policy lessons have emerged from the crisis, Mr Konkolewsky stated, notably that social solidarity, social dialogue and dynamic social security systems are indispensable for individual well-being, social cohesion and economic performance.

“However, as much as the values of social cohesion and social justice that are embodied in national social security systems have softened the severity and negative impact of the crisis, they must now uphold and guide measures to support fiscal consolidation,” he said.

“Pro-cyclical policies that neglect the importance of social protection would negate the lessons we had just learned from the crisis.”

The Secretary General applauded the efforts of the International Labour Organization (ILO) to reconcile growth, jobs and social protection policy goals in its Global Jobs Pact, and underlined the support of the ISSA for the ILO’s Social Protection Floor Initiative, which, he noted, has already led governments to extend protection, and to thereby add a crucial missing basic element to national social security systems.

Earlier in the week, the Secretary General attended a high-level ILO seminar on the Social Protection Floor Initiative, where he met with Mr Gilles de Robien, President of the 99th International Labour Conference (see left), and Ministers of Labour and Social Security from several countries.

See also:

ISSA Focus on Social Security and the Financial Crisis >>
UN/ILO Social Protection Floor Initiative >>