“There has been too much ideology in defining policies and too little human sensitivity to the individuals, families, communities – too much financial, too little social,” the Director-General of the ILO, Juan Somavia, said in a speech to the plenary meeting of the 101st International Labour Conference. He added that it is possible to turn the inefficient growth patterns of today’s world economy around but this requires a redefinition of priorities and the political conviction to overcome the dogmas of the past.

Nearly 5,000 delegates have gathered for the conference, taking place in Geneva, which is focused on the global jobs crisis and its impact on youth, as well as social protection and rights at work.

In his remarks, Mr. Somavia said that the financial crash of 2008 was “not just an unfortunate accident on a safe road” but rather a “pile-up” caused by a globalization model whose values were shaped in the 80s, picked up speed in the 90s and have now “gone out of control.”

According to ILO, around 30 million people have been added to the unemployed since the 2008 financial crisis, and nearly 40 million more have stopped looking for employment.

The prospect of several more years of lingering crisis or feeble recovery is opening minds, said the ILO chief, noting that this prolonged period of uncertainty can also be a potential period of creativity if world leaders redefine priorities.

Growth, however indispensable, can no longer be the key criterion for the world economy, Mr. Somavia said. He added that creating quality jobs, especially for youth, reducing poverty and informal work, promoting growth of middle classes, as well as providing fair access to opportunities, should from now on also be criteria to measure macroeconomic success. The ILO 2009 Global Jobs Pact can be a useful tool in this process, he noted.

The Pact was adopted by the ILO in 2009 as a response to the 2007/8 global economic crisis, and offers a range of crisis response initiatives that countries can adapt to their specific needs and situation. These measures include retaining persons in employment, sustaining enterprises, and accelerating employment creation and jobs recovery, all combined with social protection, especially for the most vulnerable.

“Do not be misled by the pep talks and some of the short-term viewpoints that we’re seeing recovery here and there – we are not out of the woods, we are far and away not out of the woods yet. Some of the recoveries are fragile, only in some parts of the world are we seeing some real recovery,” the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Supachai Panitchpakdi, said at a joint news conference in Doha.

The 13th session, known as UNCTAD XIII is taking place in Doha from 21 to 26 April, is the first such conference since the fallout from the 2007-2008 global economic crisis. The sessions are held every four years, and the theme of this year’s session is ‘Development-centred globalization: Towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development.’ Panitchpakdi said the global trading system’s gains over the last decade had been lost in the recent crisis, and, in what amounted to an increasingly multipolar world, the meeting would provide a crucial platform for Member States to share experiences and lessons learned – and, hopefully, concrete recommendations based on their experiences would emerge.

Speaking at the same news conference, the President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, said the Assembly remains concerned about the current global economic situation. “I am here in Doha to participate in this high-level UNCTAD Conference because I wish to give this event all the attention and support it deserves,” Mr. Al-Nasser said. “It is also in the interest of developed countries to support UNCTAD since the benefits would be shared between developed and developing nations based on what we call in the UN, South-South and Triangular Cooperation for development.”

Established in 1964, UNCTAD promotes the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy, and seeks to help shape current policy debates and thinking on development, with a particular focus on ensuring that domestic policies and international action are mutually supportive in bringing about sustainable development.

It has long maintained that the current global economic and financial system has allowed a lop-sided system to flourish, with some participants reaping the benefits while global income inequality and financial imbalances have also accumulated.