New Delhi: Union Minister of Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate the two-day regional dialogue on social justice under the Global Coalition for Social Justice and the observance of the 74th Foundation Day of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) here on Monday (February 24).
The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Director General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, will also be present at the inaugural session of this key international dialogue.
The Global Coalition for Social Justice is a landmark initiative by the ILO to bring global, regional and national actors together for policy and action coherence towards advancing social justice. Launched in November 2023, the Coalition has been joined by 336 partners, including 90 governments, within a short span.
India, as a founding member of the ILO and a key member in the Coordinating Group of the Global Coalition, is playing a crucial role in the coalition for furthering the agenda of social justice.
Recognising the need for collaboration between governments, businesses, and workers to promote social justice, India has decided to champion a key coalition intervention – “Responsible business practices for sustainable and inclusive societies”.
This intervention is part of a core thematic area of the Global Coalition which involves “expanding access to and capabilities for productive and freely chosen employment and sustainable enterprises”, according to an official statement issued on Sunday.
In this context, the two-day regional event is being organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation in collaboration with the Global Coalition for Social Justice and the ILO, with the support of the Confederation of Industry (CII)–Employers Federation of India (EFI), the statement said.
Deliberations will focus on skills and employment, expanding social security, gender inclusion in the workplace, responsible business practices, corporate governance for decent work, and harnessing AI for social justice.
More than 500 participants, including representatives from coalition partners, governments, ministries concerned of the Indian government, employers’ and workers’ organisations, academia and enterprises, experts from international organisations bodies, and ESIC members and officers, will participate during the inaugural session of the regional dialogue, the statement added.
The event will also mark the Observance of the 74th Foundation Day of the ESIC, celebrating its pioneering contributions to social security and workers’ welfare in India. The ESIC, which administers one of the most comprehensive social security schemes in the country, has been playing a leading role in providing medical care, maternity benefits, and financial protection to workers and their families.
The foundation day celebrations will highlight ESIC’s milestones and future roadmap for strengthening its services and coverage. The event will also feature the honouring of key contributors to the ESIC’s mission of transforming “social security to social justice”, kick-start of the “ESIC Special Services Fortnight”, and the launch of ESIC publications detailing its achievements.
The inaugural session will also include the unveiling of key initiatives such as the e-Shram mobile application, and publications such as a position paper on transforming India’s Social Protection Landscape through Data Pooling, Learnings and Reflections from the ISSA-ESIC International Seminar organised by India in January 2025.
A highlight of the event will be the formal announcement of the joining of the Global Coalition by prominent Indian workers’ and employers’ organisations as partners.
A joint statement on responsible business conduct is also expected to be released by India’s largest workers’ organisation, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and India’s key employers’ organisation (CII-EFI), reflecting the collaborative resolve of Indian workers’ organizations and industry towards inclusive and sustainable development.
Through this key Coalition event, India aims to reaffirm its commitment to leading the global march towards social justice and inclusive growth and leveraging global partnerships to drive meaningful action. The outcomes of this event are expected to inform future strategies for universal social protection and fostering responsible business ecosystems, contributing to the broader objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Decent Work Agenda, the statement said.
(IANS)
