UN-backed European and Central Asian regional meeting focuses on job creation

An urgent call for effective employment and social policies opened a United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO)-backed regional meeting in Norway today, in reaction to stark figures that show at least one million Europeans lost their jobs in the past six months alone.
“We face a continuing economic and employment crisis with no obvious solution in sight,”
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder a high level panel of representatives from 51 countries in Europe and Central Asia, urging them to propose “effective actions to achieve recovery.”
The crisis has left over 26.3 million Europeans unemployed – 10.2 million more than when the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, according to the latest UN figures.
The employment situation has continued to deteriorate since the introduction of fiscal consolidation policies, according to an ILO press release.
“Following a brief respite in 2010-2011, unemployment has resumed growing and shows no sign of improvement,” the UN agency said.
The regional – organized in collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom of Norway – provides an opportunity for tripartite representatives of the countries of the European and Central Asian Region to share their experiences and to discuss the response to the economic and jobs crisis in the region, looking at levels of social protection, social dialogue and the application of labour law, the ILO said.
The regional meeting is held every four years to set priorities and discuss joint policies.
Earlier in the year, the ILO reported that the number of unemployed worldwide rose by 4.2 million in 2012 with gloomy expectations of a further increase in 2013.

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