CIBJO President addresses 2012 ECOSOC High-Level Segment

Speaks of the threat to employment in the time of global economic crisis
CIBJO President addresses 2012 ECOSOC High-Level Segment

The current global economic crisis and its effects on job creation in the jewellery industry were highlighted by CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri in his address at the annual High Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations in New York.

The theme of this year’s ECOSOC High Level Segment was "Promoting productive capacity and decent work to eradicate poverty in the context of inclusive sustainable and equitable economic growth at all levels for achieving the Millennium Developments Goals (MDG).". Dr. Cavalieri expressed the jewellery industry's continuing support for the United National development objectives. He also added, that "global recession and the current world financial crisis are accelerating poverty worldwide, and this is defeating the first Millennium Development Goal to eradicate poverty”.

ECOSOC President Milos Koterec put the figure of unemployed at 205 million worldwide, and said that "work is worryingly difficult to find, and finding decent, meaningful work, harder still." ECOSOC is the UN forum in which representatives of government, business and civil society discuss the world's economic, social and environmental challenges, and policy recommendations are made. Over 500 delegates attended the High Level Segment in New York, where CIBJO was the world jewellery industry's sole representative. CIBJO has held consultative status in ECOSOC since 2006.

Dr. Cavalieri described the programmes that have been undertaken to stimulate grass-roots economic and social development in the countries and regions in which the jewellery and gemstone sectors are active. He said, “We believe that it is the duty of each and every industrial sector to provide training opportunities for the younger generations, in order to better prepare them for the evolving labour market which now operates in a very competitive global environment. Education and training are a prerequisite for the eradication of poverty in the world."

In New York, Dr. Cavalieri held a private meeting with Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, the vice president of ECOSOC. At an ECOSOC side event, Dr. Cavalieri was a participant in a panel discussion at the UN Headquarters looking at the impact of the financial crisis on youth unemployment in partnership with "The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development."

The 2012 ECOSOC High-Level Segment concluded with the adoption on July 10 of a draft ministerial declaration that had been submitted by the president. The resolution encourages strong collaboration and partnerships in order to address the challenges of youth unemployment. It urges the sharing of experiences and effective practices, along with the creation and strengthening of youth programmes, such as the United Nations Volunteers, that focus on employment.


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