Barbara Shailor, Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, Launching the Global Labor Working Group at the G20 Summit (State Department Photo)
On Friday, I hosted the first official dialogue between the U.S. government and the global labor movement during the G20 Summit in Cannes, France. As part of my work engaging on international labor affairs, I chair the Labor Working Group of Secretary Clinton’s Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, an initiative to improve U.S. engagement with citizens and civil society around the world by broadening the concept of the "bilateral relationship" beyond governments.
I met with trade union leaders from Belgium, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and representatives from global trade union federations. I listened to the needs and challenges facing workers in these very diverse countries. All over the world, working people are struggling with similar challenges – unemployment, underemployment, irregular and informal work, migration, discrimination and a lack of adequate social protection.
The dialogue we started today provides insights and important ideas that the Labor Working Group will use to help make recommendations that address the concerns of working people around the world. I look forward to sharing this important engagement with Secretary Clinton and my State Department colleagues when I return to Washington.
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Remarks by Secretary Clinton at the Launch of the Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society
