Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO)

Statement on the outcome of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit

1. The Group of Seven (G7) Ise-Shima Summit came to a close today. The Ise-Shima Summit, held to address major global economic and political issues, was the first G7 summit held after the signing of two historic agreements – the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" (2030 Agenda) and the "Paris Agreement" on climate change. RENGO appreciates the fact that in compliance with these two agreements, the G7 leaders confirmed a path for the international community to proceed toward achieving inclusive growth.
2. Prior to the Ise-Shima Summit, the international labour movement held the G7 Labour Summit with the initiative of RENGO in Tokyo on April 7. At the conference, participant labour organizations drew up the "Trade Union Statement to the G7 Ise-Shima Summit, Japan," which comprised four fundamental pillars, namely, "reducing inequality," "creating employment and decent work," "achieving gender equality," and "achieving environmental sustainability and action on climate." On the same day, G7 labor leaders held talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and urged him to implement specific policy measures to achieve Japan's goals of long-term comprehensive growth and sustainable development.
3. The G7 Ise-Shima Leaders' Declaration states that the G7 leaders agreed to "remain committed to ensuring that growth is inclusive and job-rich, benefitting all segments of our societies." The declaration cites as priority policy issues, labor market participation by women, youth and the elderly, and improving job opportunity and quality, implementation of fiscal strategies to strengthen job creation, gender equality, better application of labour standards in global supply chains, implementation of the Paris Agreement within this year, formulation of mid-century long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, and implementation of the 2030 Agenda to end poverty, among other issues. RENGO welcomes the fact that the G7 leaders have maintained the direction of their policy changes at a global level since 2008 and reconfirmed that they regard the common goal for the world to be sustainable growth that excludes nobody, or so-called "inclusive growth," as the basic principle for the economic management of their respective countries.
4. What is important from this point on is for each G7 member state to address with sincerity the challenges they face respectively through their specific domestic policy measures. RENGO, in cooperation with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD as well as national centers of trade unions in various countries, is determined to step up its efforts, by negotiating with governments and international organizations, to lobby for the implementation of policy measures contributing to the ensuring of decent work for all, and "a secure society based on work," which is the goal RENGO strives for.