A/HRC/RES/55/9
Acknowledging also the work of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, in
particular the International Labour Organization, in supporting the efforts of States to
promote inclusive, sustained economic growth, full, productive and freely chosen
employment and decent work for all and the full realization of the right to work, and
recognizing the important contributions made by the United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of Women in relation to the realization of the right to work
for women,
Reaffirming that all human rights, civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights,
including the right to development, are universal, indivisible, interdependent, interrelated and
mutually reinforcing, and that all human rights must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on
the same footing and with the same emphasis,
Emphasizing that States should undertake to guarantee that the right to work is to be
exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability or other status,
Emphasizing also that the right to work is not only essential for realizing other human
rights but also an inseparable and inherent part of human dignity and social justice, and is
important in ensuring the satisfaction of human needs and values that are central to a dignified
life,
Recognizing that, on the one hand, the development of automation enabled by
advanced technologies, including robotics and artificial intelligence, brings the promise of
higher productivity, job creation, better services and improved well-being, aimed at
improving social inclusion, while on the other, it entails challenges that may have a broader
impact on jobs, skills, wages and the nature of work itself that may vary widely across
different regions and within countries, which could have an impact on those ill-equipped for
the transition, including persons in vulnerable or marginalized situations,
Recognizing also that climate change poses an existential threat for all, and has already
had an adverse impact on the full and effective enjoyment of the human rights enshrined in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right to work,
Acknowledging that workers and communities affected by climate change actions,
responses and impacts in the context of sustainable and inclusive economies should be
covered by social protection, by broader investments aimed at creating economic
opportunities and through appropriate training and assistance for job seekers, with a view to
ensuring a just transition,
Recalling that the Paris Agreement takes into account the imperatives of a just
transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance
with nationally defined development priorities,
Reaffirming that social security systems can help to support a just transition and to
minimize the impact of job losses by creating access to continuing education, improving
labour market opportunities and transitioning individuals into newly created sustainable jobs,
Recognizing that the high incidence of the informal economy in all its aspects is a
major challenge for the rights of workers, including the rights to work, to social security and
to an adequate standard of living, and for inclusive development and the rule of law, and has
a negative impact on the development of sustainable enterprises, public revenues and
governments’ scope of action, particularly with regard to economic, social and environmental
policies,
1.
Takes note of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights on the future of the right to work in connection with climate change actions, responses
and impacts in the context of sustainable and inclusive economies;1
2.
Reaffirms, as enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, the right to work, which includes the right of everyone to the opportunity to
gain his or her living by work that he or she freely chooses or accepts, and that States should
1
2
A/HRC/54/48.