Global Coalition Forum

On June 13, 2024, world leaders and partners of the Global Coalition for Social Justice gathered at the inaugural forum to call for stronger, more collective action in advancing social justice and to welcome the establishment of the Coalition as a key vehicle for achieving this goal.

Held on the sidelines of the ILO’s 112th Session of the International Labour Conference, the Coalition’s forum aimed to give a space for partners to exchange knowledge and experiences and to highlight concrete actions undertaken in support of social justice.

Never has social justice been so crucial for humanity

More than 1,200 representatives- head of States, partners, ILO constituents, tripartite delegations-participated to the Forum that intends to become an annual gathering. This year, the high-level dialogue was built upon the thematic areas that have been discussed with our partners in closed consultations such as building the resilience of societies; improving the coherence between economic and social policies; and fostering social dialogue for shared prosperity.

“Never has social justice been so crucial for humanity,” said Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, who was the keynote speaker at the Inaugural Forum, as co-chair of the Global Coalition for Social Justice Coordinating Group.

“No country can resolve the dilemmas that affect the international society on its own. We need to look for best practices and experiences wherever they are. The Global Coalition will be a central tool for building a transition with social justice, decent work, and poverty eradication,” he explained.

Established in November 2023, the Global Coalition has now more than 300 members- States, workers organization, employers, civil society, academia- a very diverse-yet unified-set of partners. 

Ramchandra Paudel, President of Nepal, stated that taking part to the Global Coalition was a way “to reaffirm our commitment to social justice, to reaffirm our faith in multilateralism.”

A clear roadmap to act

Speaking at the Forum, ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, called the Inaugural Forum, “the kick-off of a long journey, a journey that will bring all of us toward more and better social justice in the world.”

Moreover, the Director-General stressed the importance of transforming commitments to social justice into concrete actions, to bring tangible, positive and sustainable changes to people’s lives.

“The fruitful discussions we have had today must translate into action. And as we move forward, let us remember that our efforts are not just for us but for the generations to come,” Houngbo said. “Our roadmap is clear. We must act, and we must act at the country level.”

The next edition of the Global coalition Forum will be held in 2025 and will showcase the concrete transformative actions taken by our partners to build a world better tailored for social justice.

The exact date will be announced in due course and invitations will be send to all partners and interested parties.

To watch the video of the inaugural forum: 
https://live.ilo.org/events/inaugural-forum-global-coalition-social-justice-2024-06