President of Finland says that ILO values and policies are needed more

GENEVA (ILO news) - In an address at the opening of the 100th annual
Conference of the International Labour Organization, Finnish President
Tarja Halonen cited the *absence of social justice* in the world,
and said the ILO*s *values and policies are needed more than ever to
create *a world with fewer tensions, greater fairness and strengthened
security.*

Addressing some 3000 government, employer and worker delegates on the
opening day of the Organization*s International Labour Conference,
President Halonen said *the core conventions adopted by the
Organization remain highly topical. Still, a great deal remains to be
done in their national implementation in many parts of the world. These
basic rights must be respected when we look for means to advance the
global economy*.

Ms. Halonen also recalled the World Commission on the Social Dimension
of Globalization established by the ILO that she had co-chaired, and
noted that it had led to results at the United Nations* World Summit
in 2005 and contributed to the adoption in 2008 of the ILO Declaration
on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization that *now defines the
strategic objectives of the ILO.*

*On this basis, it has been possible to address the impacts of
globalization including the requirement of access to decent work,* she
said. *The ILO has been active to ensure that issues of working life
are taken into account in the debate on the global economy - and now
also in the work of the G20 countries*.

Noting that the World Commission, had recommended that *work towards
a fairer globalization begins at home,* she added that Finland and the
other Nordic countries, had based their systems on *the welfare
society model* while remaining *among the most competitive countries
in the world ... Governments, labour market organizations and other key
partners should agree on national measures which guarantee that the
benefits of globalization can be fully utilised*.

Ms. Halonen also stressed the need for close cooperation between
different international organizations, saying *I consider that an
intense interaction between such organizations as the ILO, the UN
Conference on Trade and Development and the World Trade Organization
would provide a solid basis for global solutions. At the global level,
we need a better coherence among different objectives and actions and a
common understanding on how to achieve our goals*.