With billions of people facing greatest cost-of-living crisis in a generation, leaders to gather at UN to address solutions for job growth and social protection
High-Level Meeting on Partnering for Action: Implementation of the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions in the Complex Setting of Overlapping Crises
New York, 21 September 2022 – World leaders together with Heads of International Financial Institutions, UN agencies and other partners will gather at a high-level meeting organized by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 23 September to strengthen the collective response needed to urgently address the global job crisis and support the billions of people that continue to be excluded from social protection.
WHY:
The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions aims to create 400 million jobs and extend social protection coverage to the billions of people currently left unprotected by 2030.
As a result of the ongoing pandemic, the number of working hours lost has been equivalent to a deficit of 112 million full-time jobs. The pandemic led to an estimated 75 million fewer jobs in 2021 than there were before the crisis, threatening progress on Sustainable Development Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth.
The current climate crisis and impact of the conflict in Ukraine have compounded the pandemic’s already devastating effects on food, energy, and finance globally. The fallout from overlapping crises is felt most by those not covered by any form of social protection – currently 4.2 billion people globally.
The UN Secretary-General launched the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions in September 2021 to respond to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaders of the G7 and Ministers of the ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum have already welcomed the Global Accelerator and the role it can play in advancing the SDGs.
FORMAT:
At the High-Level meeting, “Partnering for Action: Implementation of the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions in the Complex Setting of Overlapping Crises,” the UN Secretary-General will make an appeal for concrete commitments to the Global Accelerator and underscore the importance of accelerating support for just transitions, followed by the Croo representing the Group of Friends on Decent Work. Remarks on the implementation strategy will be made by ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, who will then give an overview of the implementation strategy of the Global Accelerator. A moderated discussion will then take place with Heads of the International Financial Institutions, Heads of States and Government and international organizations that have signaled commitments to operationalize the Global Accelerator.
UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner and UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell. Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Mahmoud Mohieldin will moderate panels. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed will provide closing remarks.
WHEN: Friday, 23 September, 11:15 am to 1:15 pm EDT
WHERE: UN Headquarters, Conference Room 2, New York or watch live through UN Web TV
Key links
Website: /en/coronavirus/financing-development/global-accelerator
Hashtag: #UNGlobalAccelerator
Media Contacts
United Nations: Sharon Birch-Jeffrey, UN Department of Global Communications, email: birchs@sby168.com tel: +1 212 963 0564
International Labour Organization: Amber Barth, ILO Office for the United Nations, email: barth@ilo.org, tel: +1 212 697 0150
UNICEF: Georgina Diallo, UNICEF NY, email: gdiallo@unicef.org, tell: +1 +1917 238 238 1559