The Center for American Progress, with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a private reception at the residence of the Norwegian Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Wegger Strømmen, to celebrate the launch of the Just Jobs program.
The Just Jobs program, housed within the Center for American Progress, examines ways to extend the benefits of economic integration and trade to all of the workers who power the global economy through the creation of jobs complete with labor rights, social protection such as health care and pensions, appropriate remuneration, and opportunities for economic mobility.
Job creation is central to recovering from the global economic crisis and to rebalancing the global economy toward sustainable economic growth and development. A jobless recovery is not a real recovery. Cultivating aggregate demand and shifting economies from an export-led model of growth to one that is led more by domestic consumption is critical to putting the global economy back on track. Creating jobs—just jobs—and addressing labor market issues are key to this effort.
As developed countries such as the United States struggle with joblessness and their own set of economic challenges it is hard to make the case for supporting these efforts in developing countries. But the health of developed economies and the sustainability of their growth is contingent on promoting rising living standards in other countries. Developed and developing countries are now deeply intertwined, and the global economic recovery and its continued health depend on building strong and stable economies worldwide—not just within our own borders.
Featured attendees:
Sigbjorn Johnsen – Minister of Finance, Norway
Tore Eriksen – Secretary General, Norwegian Ministry of Finance
Pascal Lamy – Director-General, World Trade Organization
Juan Somavia – Director-General, International Labor Organization
Michael Klein – Chief Economist, International Affairs, US Treasury Department
Joseph Stiglitz – Co-President of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Colombia University
Ernst Stetter – Secretary General of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS)
Barbara Shailor – Special Representative for International Affairs, State Department
Rick Samans – Managing Director, World Economic Forum
Maria João Rodrigues – Party of European Socialists (PES) EU Special Adviser, Former Employment Minister of Portugal
Atle Leikvoll – Deputy Secretary General, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Rachel Kyte – International Finance Corporation
D’Alema Massimo – Former Prime Minister of Italy
Steen Jorgensen – World Bank
Sabina Dewan – Director of Globalization and International Employment, Center for American Progress
Sarah Rosen Wartell – Executive Vice President, Center for American Progress
Michael Ettlinger – Vice President for Economic Policy, Center for American Progress
Lars Wahl – Financial Affairs Counselor, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs