New Delhi, Delhi, 25th of February, 2025 : Ministry of Labour and Employment and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in collaboration with Global Coalition for Social Justice and International Labour Organization, with the support Confederation of Industry (CII) – Employers Federation of India (EFI) hosted a two-day Regional Dialogue on Social Justice under the Global Coalition for Social Justice at Bharat Mandapam from 24-25 February 2025 in New Delhi.
The event brought together more than 500 representatives from Coalition partners, governments, concerned Ministries of Government of India, employers’ and workers’ organizations, academia and enterprises, experts from international organizations bodies and ESIC members and officers.
Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the two-day Regional Dialogue and launched key publications on Responsible Business Conduct, Transforming India’s Social Protection Landscape, Compendium of Social Protection in India, and Shram Samarth, in the presence of Director General, International Labour Organization (ILO), Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, and Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Labour & Employment.
The event also marked the 74th foundation day of ESIC celebrating seven decades of the organisation’s service to workers and their families across the country. The highlight of the occasion was the start of the ESIC Special Services Fortnight, a 15-day initiative aimed at enhancing worker welfare. Running from February 24th to March 10th, 2025, this initiative will involve participation from ESIC Field Offices, Hospitals, and Medical Institutions in a series of activities, including seminars, health talks, awareness camps, hygiene education, health check-ups etc.
Global experts, policymakers, and industry leaders shared their insights during technical sessions to advance social justice in the region. Experts from international organizations including International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations India, UNICEF, UN Women and UNESCAP shared crucial insights and global perspectives.
Representatives from Australia, Japan, Namibia, Philippines, Germany, Brazil, showcased their respective experiences and learnings, while participants discussed strategies on empowering the youth to drive sustainable growth for enterprises, expanding social security to informal workers, responsible business practices in safeguarding worker well-being, promoting decent work, living wages within global value chains and human centric approach to harnessing AI for decent Work & equity. Emphasizing corporate accountability and compliance with international labour standards, the discussions reinforced the importance of multi-stakeholder partnership in driving sustainable and inclusive economic growth while upholding workers’ rights and well-being.
Representatives from Ministry of Labour & Employment presented its key initiatives and achievements including NCS and e-Shram, social security coverage and OSH in changing world of work during the technical sessions.
Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary (Labour & Employment) emphasized the need for collaboration among social partners- industry and workers’ organizations for fostering social justice by promoting sustainable business models, driving inclusive growth and advancing quality employment generation. She further highlighted India’s commitment to leading global efforts on social justice in collaboration with the ILO as well as OECD on the development of an International Reference Classification of Skills and Occupations under the G20 framework.
In her concluding remarks, Secretary, Labour and Employment elaborated on the strides taken by India towards Responsible Business conduct. She appreciated the efforts of Indian businesses who showcased practices for promoting responsible business conduct by ensuring health & safety of workers, living wages, and youth skilling while expanding social protection coverage.
Ms. Dawra also emphasized India’s demographic dividend, skilling youth for future of work, quality employment generation, and workforce well-being as top priorities.
Ms. Sana De Courcelles, Director of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, praised India’s pioneering efforts and strong commitment to taking the lead in the coalition as an active partner. She commended India not only for its leadership in the coalition but also for delivering concrete outcomes, fostering tangible actions for job creation, promoting shared prosperity, and encouraging collective efforts for ongoing dialogue.
Interactive digital kiosks of Ministry of Labour and Employment and its organizations including ESIC, Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, Director General of Employment and Director General of Labour Welfare, received good response from the participants.
Landmark initiatives of the Ministry including e-Shram, NCS portal, labour reforms Gig & Platform Worker, ELI Schemes, EPFO and ESIC were showcased through digital flipbooks. These engaging kiosks emphasized India’s commitment to leveraging technology to make social security more accessible, transparent, and efficient.
The seminar concluded as the Joint Secretary, Labour & Employment, Shri Rupesh Kumar Thakur reaffirmed the need for continued dialogue and multi-stakeholder collaboration of Coalition Partners to drive the global agenda for social justice.
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