According to many human rights organizations, unions and the ILO, the market-driven approach to globalization that has dominated policies worldwide for the last 40 years needs to be changed. According to the Report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, published in 2004 by the ILO:
"The current process of globalization is generating unbalanced outcomes, both between and within countries. Wealth is being created, but too many countries and people are not sharing in its benefits. They also have little or no voice in shaping the process. Seen through the eyes of the vast majority of women and men, globalization has not met their simple and legitimate aspirations for decent jobs and a better future for their children. Many of them live in the limbo of the informal economy without formal rights and in a swathe of poor countries that subsist precariously on the margins of the global economy. Even in economically successful countries some workers and communities have been adversely affected by globalization."
"We [ILO] believe the dominant perspective on globalization must shift more from a narrow preoccupation with markets to a broader preoccupation with people. Globalization must be brought from the high pedestal of corporate board rooms and cabinet meetings to meet the needs of people in the communities in which they live. The social dimension of globalization is about jobs, health and education – but it goes far beyond these. It is the dimension of globalization which people experience in their daily life and work: the totality of their aspirations for democratic participation and material prosperity. A better globalization is the key to a better and secure life for people everywhere in the 21st century."
(International Labour Organization (ILO),
A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All, World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, February 2004, visited 2008-06-24)
To support this vision, suggestions for action have been proposed, most of which have been echoed by the ILO itself and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. They call for:
- A focus on people
- A democratic and effective State
- Sustainable development
- Productive and equitable markets
- Fair rules for the global economy
- Globalization with solidarity
- Greater accountability to people
- Deeper partnerships and social dialogue
- A stronger more effective multilateral system.
The Ethical Globalization Initiative (EGI)
The Ethical Globalization Initiative, directed by former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, "seeks to integrate human rights norms and standards into a more
ethical globalization process and to support local and national human rights capacity building efforts using the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as a case study."
(Yale Global Online,
A Discussion on Ethical Globalization,
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization , visited 2011-03-24)
"
Ethical globalization requires greater recognition of the responsibility of the international community to help people who have been denied their fundamental rights. This requires taking human rights beyond their more traditional political and legal realms and applying them to other fields."
(Realizing Rights,
The Ethical Globalization Initiative,
The Vision Project, visited 2010-06-24)