The 4th Group of Twenty (G20) Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting will kick off today in George with discussions on a various labour market issues, culminating in the development of a declaration.
In a statement on Sunday, the department said the 4th G20 EWG meeting will focus on critical themes, including youth employment, gender equality in the world of work, social security and platform work, as well as addressing inequality and declining labour income share.
The discussions come amidst transformations and global challenges driven by protectionism and anti-globalisation tendencies.
Technical experts
The two-day 4th G20 EWG meeting of technical experts will conclude with a two-day Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting (LEMM) from 30-31 July.
The theme of the G20 EWG stream is: “Living and Working in an Unequal World: Ensuring Decent Work and Decent Lives”.
The EWG theme is aligned to South Africa’s G20 Presidency theme – “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
“It is expected that the gathering will conclude with a LEMM declaration that will have been negotiated by technical experts. The declaration is also expected to build on the Brisbane (2025) to eThekwini Goal (2030) to address gender equality in the workforce,” the department said.
Both the EWG and LEMM will bring together more than 150 local and international delegates, including Labour and Employment Ministers from G20 Member Countries, invited countries and international organisations.
“The G20 EWG’s mandate is to address labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced and job-rich growth for all,” the department said.
Founded in 1999 in response to several world financial economic crises, the G20 is a forum for international economic cooperation to coordinate policy aimed at achieving global economic stability and sustainable growth, promote financial regulations, and create a new international financial architecture.
The G20 member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, plus the European Union and the African Union.
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