2013 International Labour Organization Conference High Level Panel on World of Works Event: Statement by Carlos Lopes UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA

Abstract

Africa’s population is estimated to double in the next 50 years and it is the only continent with a growing youth population. The reality then is that Africa’s population is getting more youthful, as the rest of the world is ageing. It is similarly also estimated that by 2040 Africa will have the largest labor force in the world. These two facts require then that we begin to ponder and plan for the jobs that these young Africans will need. To conclude from the African perspective, restoring confidence through jobs, growth and social progress means inclusive and equitable structural transformation. It means thinking out of the box. Of course after knowing the box! It means that a tripartite and representative global forum like the International Labor Conference must contribute to framing the inevitable intergenerational social contract between Africa and the rest of the world. Achieving the purposes of our theme requires dialogue, inclusion, equity, justice, cooperation and collaboration. These are things for which the ILO is well known and which will no doubt resonate in the course of our deliberations.