Sarkozy launches G20 proces on basic Social Justice rules as Economic Growth motor without Dumping

*Paris/Angelo Marcopolo/- In various EU/G20/International Officials' statements to "EuroFora", linked to a landmark Sarkozy speech calling to bring together the building blocks of a much needed Economic Global Governance,  warning against a growing Development Appartheid throughout the Word and asking from all G20 Member States to respect at least elementary ILO's Labour Rights, in order to use Social Justice as a Stimulus for stable and peaceful Economic Recovery, which must accelerate in order to fully overcome the grave consequences of the recent Global Crisis, a new process appeared set in motion by Paris' International Conference on Coherence vis a vis the Social Dimension of Globalisation, due to evolve with a series of concrete moves during the forthcoming Months (See infra).

 Both the Chairman-in-office of G20 2011 Social/Labour Ministerial summit (a "1st" in History, scheduled for September), French Minister for Labour, Employment and Health, Xavier Bertrand, the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social affairs and Inclusion, Laszlo Andor, and ILO's Head Juan Somavia, as well as other EU/G20/International Officials appeared careful, but rather optimist, and, at any way , conscious of what is really at stake in front of the "Citizens of the World", under Peoples' watchful eye, as the French President, 2011 G8/G20 Chairman, stressed.
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- Making a strong appeal to the Governments of the biggest developed and emerging countries all over the Globe, the 2011 G8/G20 President, Sarkozy, reminded that, recently, it was by jointly acting all "Together" that States succeeded to more or less alleviate and reduce the Hard Impact of the 2008-2009 Global Crisis to the Economy and to the People, but that "it would be Irresponsible" now "to claim that the Crisis was only a mere Parenthesis", due to be forgotten soon by things coming back in a business-as-usual, familiar old style :

 - As, already, "the 1919-written ILO Constitution, edited after a War among the most Deadly in our History,  reminds us topicaly, "a Universal and sustainable Peace cannot be founded but only on the basis of Social Justice", Sarkozy warned, (obviously hinting at the venue of the 2nd World War in less than 20 years, for the first time in History so soon)..

- Today, "the on-going Revolutions in the Middle and Near East prove how this expectation of Social Justice goes hand by hand together with the Democratic Aspirations shared by all People", Sarkozy observed.

Citting various concrete examples of a recently emerging trend among the activities of the pre-existing Global Institutions, mainly ILO (who "made in 2008 a "Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation", and several proposals by the 2010 "Global Agreement for Employment", while the June 2010 ILO International Conference stressed the need for a Cohesion between Financial and Social policies"), but even IMF (whish started f.ex. to "take into account Social Spending in National Programs it supported" in Poor Countries such as "Costa Rica, Dominican Repubic and Pakistan", etc), and World Bank, (which helped, f.ex. Brazil in a program supporting Poor Families, etc), he stressed the obvious "need to advance, now, much further" :

- "The G2O must take over the task to Unite the main members of the concerned (International) Organizations around this  New Ambition", Sarkozy proposed, in order to "create New Tools", so that Gobalization becomes able to use also Social progress to strengthen Economic progress", as he significantly said.

- Even if "I am convinced that ..Globalisation is a great Chance", at the same time, "we cannot accept that this provokes an unbearable augmentation of Inequalities or of Unemployment" : F. ex., - "How could we accept the fact that 8 Persons out of 10 in the World don't have access to any Social Protection system ? How could we accept for nearly 1/3 of the People to remain without access to any Health Service or establishment ? How could it be tolerable for Life expectance of one Billion of Poorest People to be only 51 Years" of age, "while it is growing up to 80 Years for one Billion of Richest People" in the World ?, Sarkozy wondered.

    - That's why "We must get Globalization out of these Deadlocks", the G8/G20 2011 President stressed, proposing a possible "Threefold" Action Strategy : On Social Protection, Employment, and respect of ILO's Social Rights and Rules ;

    1) "Encourage the development of Social Protection" key parts, even if it isn't the same in all Countries, rich or poor, and it will take Time. But, at least, we must "Start" doing something concrete in this direction, aso because we all have seen that "it ameliorates Workers' Productivity and sustainable Growth".

    2) "We have also to place Employment at the heart of our Economic Choices", Sarkozy stressed, because, as "OECD and ILO found out, if we simpy want to find anew the pre-Crisis' level of Employment at least on 2015, it's more than 110 Millions of New Jobs that must be created, i.e. 22 Millions each year, during 5 years !", he observed.
    
    In this framework, is raised also the question of Development's indicators, which cannot remain limited only to the GDP, but must also take into account "Social, Environmental" and other aspects, as it was recently demonstrated also by OECD and the Team of Top Economy Experts chaired by US Nobel Prize winner Prof. Stiglitz, (Paris, formerly Strasbourg) professor Fitoussi and Dr. Sen, the French President added, pointing at an issue also cherissed by German Chancellor Angie Merkel.

    This also raises the issue of Social and/or Environmental Dumping, and Unfair Competition  : - "Why should some Countries respect Environental and Social Rules, if they can be easily violated by others in total Impunity ?, he wondered.

    3) But the most important point for Sarkozy appeared to be the need to ensure a "better Respect of Labour Rights" :
    
    These are at least "Minimal" Social Protection levels, "such as, f. ex., to avoid Children's or Prisoners' work", etc. the French President pointed out.

- "We must install, between Nations, a System of Rules which incites everybody to go Upwards". On the contrary, "we must refuse a Competition without any Rules, which would push everybody Downwards !", Sarkozy stressed firmly

=> Thus, it's intolerable that even the "Minimal" Social guarantees, enshrined in "8 ILO's Conventions on Fundamental Labour Rights, are not yet Ratified by all G20 Members, almost all of whom are also ILO's Members", Sarkozy denounced.
    
    - "If someone wants to be Member of an Organization, he must Ratify and apply the Rules produced by that Organisation", the 2011 G8/G20 President warned.
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The fact that real Economic Productivity and Competitivity, sustainable Growth, and Development with Free Trade and Fair Competition,  based on a solid and dynamic foundation of RealPolitics, can and should go together with an at least elementary respect of basic Human and Social Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law Worldwide, so that Globalization can and must, in fact, become Popular among "Citizens of the World", as the incoming 2011 President of the G8 - G20, French ¨President Sarkozy stressed in conclusion, instead of remaining prisoner of old and largely misleading Ideologic oppositions belonging to a remote Past, and not to the real Potential of the 21th Century for New Horizons at a Global level, was strongly Highlighted in a pioneer, landmark International Conference on "the Social dimension of the Globalisation", placed under the Moto "enhancing Coherence", which gathered together, for the 1st time in History under such a banner, Top Representatives of European and International Organizations, Politicians and Government Officials, in the new Paris' Government Conference Center,

Bringing for the 1st time together G20s Finance and Employment/Social affairs Ministers and other Political Representatives from Europe and allover the World, as a Starting point before further Next Steps also at a UNO and ILO level, both in New York and Geneva, anounced during the Public Conclusions of the International Conference, and confirmed in detail to "EuroFora", by the co-chairing French Minister of Work, Employment and Health, Xavier Bertrand, one of the inner circle "Sarkozy faithful", the move was even ..optically resumed in original Photos (which, as the moto says : "Speak 1000 Words") picturing the new FMI head hopeful, the front-runner most probable European candidate, the US-educated and long-time Chicago-based, succesful French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, engaged in a long, close conversation with the impressive physionomy of the International Labour Organization's Head, Juan Somavia...
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Bertrand had just returned from a recent visit at Nancy with Sarkozy, to debate with Civil Society representatives, where the French President launched a very interesting plaidoyerie to develop the first signs of Economic Recovery by "Working More", and not less, than before, thanks also to a focus on "Quality work", at least on developed countries :  

- "Work (even) 40 Hours, when someone loves his work, is a blessing.  But work even only 30 Hours, when someone doesn't like his job, it's atrocious. In consequence, the (real) issue is not that of Work's duration, but that of its Quality", Sarkozy had rightfully concluded,

This points at a key Social Fact, reportedly confirmed, shortly afterwards, also by recent Polls, which found large Majorities, mainly among Qualified workers, Executives, etc., for 63% of whom, the most important thing in their work, is its "Quality", if it's "Interesting", etc., while, on the contrary, Remuneration, Material Conditions, and other factors only come far Down in People's priority list..
(NDLR : See "EuroFora"s DraftNews on Sarkozy's Nancy statements, already sent to Subscribers/Donors).
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Symbolically hosted in a renovated Building of the impressive old National Printing Factory, with a statute of Gutenberg (alike to that of EU/CoE Capital Strasbourg, city where he notoriously invented the Printed Machine and Media), facing an also renovated huge Church Architecture full of Light from the nearby Seine River quais, amidst fast-growing post-Modern Scyscrapers around the most Innovative, High-Tech open "Green" Park in the Historic and beautiful City of Paris : the most recently created with the name of famous Modern Car Inventor/Industrialist "Citroen", the event revealed more Surprises and insolite facts, than traditionaly expected from old-fashioned meetings, including, the Spicy picture of the pretty Head of French Businessmen and Employers, Mrs Laurence Parisot, make a convincing plaidoyerie in favor of the development of ... Workers' elementary Social Rights Worldwide, as one among the most solid foundations of "Fair Competiton", as she rightfully stressed..

In the wording of WTO, the Geneva-based Global Free Trade watchdog, headed and represented here by Pascal Lamy, this obviously echoes as "Fair Competition", naturally excluding "Social Dumping",as the co-chairing French Minister of Work, Employment and Health, Xavier Bertrand, one of the inner circle "Sarkozy faithful", agreed speaking with "EuroFora". (NDLR : Watch out for full Bertrand's statements to "EuroFora" to be published in a more extensive final version and/or independently, according to further developments, asap).

That's mainly why, logically, the also Geneva-based ILO Head, Juan Somavia, opened anew the "neo-classical" issue, with fresh energy, to find a way for the Global Watchdog of elementary Social Rights to be somehow represented if not integrated inside the World Trade Organization's overall institutional machinery, from where, curiously, it's still absent in institutional terms.

The overall move can and will be further repercuted also by the amplifying energy not only of ILO, but also of various other EU Multilateral and even Bilateral contacts and relations engaged by Europe in the World with other Countries all over the Globe and inside International Organizations, as the young and energetic, but also serious and carefully-worded EU Commissioner for Employment, Social affairs and Inclusion, Laszlo Andor told "EuroFora", (NDLR : Look out for full Andor statements to be published asap).

Bringing for the 1st time together Heads of Financial Organizations from all Regions of the World and Global Institutions, including f.ex. the Presidents of the African, Asian, Inter-American and European Development Banks, Donald Kaberuka, Haruhiko Kuroda, Jaime Sujoy, and Jan Fischer, as well as FMI's deputy Director Nemart Shafik (an Egyptian-origin Anglo-American), OECD's Head Angel Gurria (an experienced, charismatic personality from Mexico, whose organization celebrates this week in a Paris' Summit its  50th Anniversary, nearly 5 Years after the Historic G8 Summit in Heiligendam, under the presidency of German Chancellor Angie Merkel, resulted in a Franco-German and Global agreement to start using OECD for the realization of G8 - now G20- policitical leaders' strategic decisions), WTO's head Pascal Lamy, World Bank's and UNDEP's vice-Presidents Rachel Kyte and Rebecca Grynspan, with Social Partners' representatives at a Global level, (present in the G20 since Pittsburg's Summit, as Sarkozy reminded, such as International Trade Union Conferederation, ITYC-CSL, and Trade Union Advisory Committee, ITUAC, as well as International Employers' Organization, IOE's Heads, Sharan Burrow (particularly vocal at the concluding debate), Richard Trumca and Daniel Funes de Rioja, respectively, the move could be spearheaded by the emerging G20+, progressively enlarged during recent years (i.e. between the 2007 Heiligendam/Germany G8 Summit and the 2011 Deauville and Cannes/France G8 and G20 Summits, via the 2008 Washington Summit, etc) Multilateral Global gathering of Heads of State/Governments, as a "prefiguration of an Economic Global Governance", whose "Building Blocks" are to be prepared by an "indispensable better Coordination of National actions", as Sarkozy said to Ministerial representatives from all over the World, (including both developed Countries, such as Australia, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands, UK, Switzerland, Russia, China, etc., and other Countries; f.ex.  South Africa, Saud Arabia, Brazilia, Mexico, Turkey, Ethiopia, etc).

But, perhaps, the most inovative or important addition to this "Chemistry's overall equation, is the new factor of the "Citizens of the World", to whom the new, 2011 G8/G20 President Sarkozy practically launched an appeal, making a Surprising, last-minute but far-reaching oral Change to his prepared draft Speech, stressing that "they must also benefit from Progress" recently made in Economy/Science-Technology, etc, placing the entire results of the 2011 new process under the "watchful" eye of "the People of the whole World"..

As ILO's Head, Somavia, carefully stressed to "EuroFora" on the overall outcome of the whole 2011 process, "we shall see during" the next few Months/Year how it will develop among all actors concerned...

- In real practice, meanwhile, G20 Labour Ministers' chairman in office, French Minister Xavier Bertrand, confirmed to "EuroFora" that he intends to "speak at the United Nations since June", travelling for that first to New York, just before returning to Geneva, in middle June, for the conclusion of an exceptionally important ILO's Conference, in order to prepare the results of a September G20 special Labour Ministers' Social Summit in France, in view of Decisions due to be debated and taken in the November G20 Heads of State/Government Summit in Cannes.

- The potential efficiency of the overal move also depends on how we shall fine-tune" it in order to find "the Right Tune", as the artful and politically experienced (particularly in the succesful 2009 EU Elections, when he headed the Governing French ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party "UMP" : See "EuroFora"s Publications from relevant events, including with Bertrand's Replies to our Questions, etc) Bertrand told "EuroFora", ...perhaps inspired also by prestigious Cannes Festival's  International reputation...