Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all

Decent Work and Economic Growth


Roughly half the world’s population still lives on the equivalent of about US$2 a day with global unemployment rates of 5.7% and having a job doesn’t guarantee the ability to escape from poverty in many places. This slow and uneven progress requires us to rethink and retool our economic and social policies aimed at eradicating poverty.

A continued lack of decent work opportunities, insufficient investments and under-consumption lead to an erosion of the basic social contract underlying democratic societies: that all must share in progress. Even though the average annual growth rate of real GDP per capita worldwide is increasing year on year, there are still many countries in the developing world that are decelerating in their growth rates and moving farther from the 7% growth rate target set for 2030. As labor productivity decreases and unemployment rates rise, standards of living begin to decline due to lower wages.

Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions that allow people to have quality jobs that stimulate the economy while not harming the environment. Job opportunities and decent working conditions are also required for the whole working age population. There needs to be increased access to financial services to manage incomes, accumulate assets and make productive investments. Increased commitments to trade, banking and agriculture infrastructure will also help increase productivity and reduce unemployment levels in the world’s most impoverished regions.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

World Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs Association

WWIEA 2008 Seoul Korea Rep C

World Youth Empowerment Foundation

WYEF Adelaide SA Australia N f

World Youth Service and Enterprise

WYSE 1988 London UK G

World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce

WZCC 2000 Hinsdale IL USA F

WorldatWork

1995 Scottsdale AZ USA N

WorldFish

1975 Bayan Lepas Malaysia E

WorldGranny

2004 Amsterdam Netherlands G

WorldLoop

2011 Brussels Belgium G

WorldSkills Europe

Hazerswoude-Dorp Netherlands D y

WorldSkills International

WSI 1950 Amsterdam Netherlands B

Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies

WAEPA 1943 Falls Church VA USA N

Worldwide ERC

1964 Arlington VA USA N

Worldwide Orphans Foundation

WWO 1997 Maplewood NJ USA N f

Worldwide Support for Development

WSD Tokyo Japan G

WORLDWISE

1991 Bainbridge Island WA USA N

WOTRO Science for Global Development

1964 The Hague Netherlands G f

XBRL Europe

Brussels Belgium E y

XBRL International

1998 Clark NJ USA F

ygap

Richmond VIC Australia G

YOU Stiftung - Bildung für Kinder in Not

YOU Foundation 1992 Düsseldorf Germany G f

Young Americas Business Trust

YABT 1999 Washington DC USA G

Young Arab Women Entrepreneurs

YAWE Beirut Lebanon J

Young Entrepreneurs for Europe

YES for Europe 1988 Brussels Belgium D

YOUROPE - The European Festival Association

1998 Bonn Germany D

YourStory International

YSI Centerville MA USA N

Youth and European Social Work

YES Forum 2002 Stuttgart Germany F

Youth Business International

YBI 1999 London UK G

Youth Express Network

Y-E-N 1993 Strasbourg France F

Youth For Public Transport

Y4PT 2009 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek Belgium F

Youth for Technology Foundation

YTF 2000 Louisville KY USA G f

Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action

YUVA 1984 Mumbai India G

Zangger Committee

ZC 1971 Vienna Austria E g

Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation

1992 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates G f

Zero Waste International Alliance

ZWIA 2003 J

ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung

1990 Mannheim Germany G

ZOA

1973 Apeldoorn Netherlands G

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