Union Labour & Employment Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate the two-day Regional Dialogue on Social Justice under the Global Coalition for Social Justice and the Observance of the 74th Foundation Day of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) on Monday in the national capital.

Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, Secretary (Labour & Employment), Sumita Dawra, and the Director General, International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert F Houngbo, will also be present at the inaugural session of this key international dialogue, the Ministry of Labour & Employment said on Sunday.

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The Global Coalition for Social Justice is a landmark initiative by ILO to bring global, regional and national actors together for policy and action coherence towards advancing social justice. Launched in November, 2023, the Coalition has been joined by 336 partners including 90 governments within a short span.

India, as a founding member of ILO and a key member in the Coordinating Group of the Global Coalition, is playing a crucial role in the Coalition for furthering the agenda of social justice.

Recognising the need for collaboration between governments, businesses, and workers to promote social justice, India has decided to champion a key Coalition intervention “Responsible business practices for sustainable and inclusive societies.”

This intervention is part of a core thematic area of the Global Coalition that is “Expanding access to and capabilities for productive and freely chosen employment and sustainable enterprises.”

In this context, the two-day regional event is being organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation in collaboration with Global Coalition for Social Justice and International Labour Organization, with the support Confederation of Industry (CII) – Employers Federation of India (EFI).

Deliberations will focus on skills and employment, expanding social security, gender inclusion in the workplace, responsible business practices, corporate governance for decent work, and harnessing AI for social justice.

The event will also mark the Observance of the 74th Foundation Day of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), celebrating its pioneering contributions to social security and workers’ welfare in India.

ESIC, which administers one of the most comprehensive social security schemes in the country, has been playing a leading role in providing medical care, maternity benefits, and financial protection to workers and their families.

The foundation day celebrations will highlight ESIC’s milestones and future roadmap for strengthening its services and coverage.

The event will also feature honouring of key contributors to ESIC’s mission of transforming “social security to social justice”, kick-start of the “ESIC Special Services Fortnight,” and launch of ESIC publications detailing its achievements.

A highlight of the event will be the formal announcement of joining of the Global Coalition by prominent Indian workers’ and employers’ organisations from India as partners.

A joint statement on responsible business conduct is also expected to be released by India’s largest workers’ organisation Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and India’s key employers’ organization (CII-EFI), reflecting the collaborative resolve of Indian workers’ organizations and industry towards inclusive and sustainable development.

Through this key Coalition event, India aims to reaffirm its commitment to leading the global march towards social justice and inclusive growth and leveraging global partnerships to drive meaningful action. The outcomes of this event are expected to inform future strategies for universal social protection and fostering responsible business ecosystems, contributing to the broader objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Decent Work Agenda.

More than 500 participants, including representatives from Coalition partners, governments, concerned Ministries of Government of India, employers’ and workers’ organisations, academia and enterprises, experts from international organisations bodies and ESIC members and officers, will participate during the inaugural session of the regional dialogue.