A UNU Public Forum was held at United Nations Headquarters on Friday, 23 June 1995, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium. Mihály Simai, Director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU/WIDER) was the guest speaker. Dr. Simai's presentation entitled, Global Employment: An International Investigation into the Future of Work, was based upon a volume of the same name, which was edited by Dr. Simai and recently published by the UNU Press.
Dr. Simai's presentation summarized some of the major findings of a UNU/WIDER conference on the political and economic aspects of global employment, which was organized to serve as a contribution to the intellectual preparations for the World Summit for Social Development. As Dr. Simai explained, the conference sought to find the correct diagnoses of new problems created by unemployment, develop new ways of generating productive employment, and formulate policy responses relevant in the 1990s and beyond.
Dr. Simai focused his comments on a wide range of issues, including the changing and increasingly interconnected labour markets of the OECD countries, the new market economies in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and the heterogeneous economies of the South. In addition, the impact of socio-economic and technological factors, and the new division of labour in shaping the internationalization of labour markets were also discussed. Some of the key issues examined in the second volume, including regional aspects of global employment and country-specific labour market policies, were also presented.
Dr. Simai's presentation was followed by a question-and- answer period which was open to all in attendance. This segment of the event lasted approximately 45 minutes and included questions on a variety of issues, such as employment and the roles of education, gender and technology, as well as the labour market policies of China, India and several African countries. Other topics addressed were the internationalization of the labour market, the creation of employment through international cooperation and the role of international organizations.
60 people attended the Forum. Attendees included staff from various UN departments and missions. Scholars and professors from research institutes and universities also were in attendance. There was a high concentration of representatives from the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the missions of developing countries. Approximately 30 people requested copies of the volume. Many expressed interest in acquiring the second volume as well.