Human well-being and capabilities, social justice Germany provides long-term support for good jobs and social dialogue worldwide: Agenda for Decent Work Worldwide

In the period covered by this report, Germany was one of the largest donors in the area of sustainable economic development and employment promotion. The Agenda for Decent Work Worldwide (External link) was presented in 2023 as a programme for scaling up the positive employment impacts of development cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The focus is on training and social protection in the context of decent work, on cooperation with trade unions and other organisations representing workers, on inclusion of people with disabilities, and on labour and skilled migration.

The strengthening of social dialogue is a key lever for creating decent work worldwide. It comprises the promotion of dialogue and peer learning, as well as negotiations on major decisions between governments, workers and employers. This is particularly important in view of the current process of structural change and the need for fair burden-sharing in the digital and ecological transformation (just transition). Effective social dialogue helps to ensure that the interests of all social groups are articulated, weighed up and aligned.

Together with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and international social partners (above all, the German and International Trade Union Confederations and the International Organisation of Employers), the German Government therefore issued an international Call to Action for more social dialogue (External link) to be embedded in just transition processes – for the sake of a socially equitable structural transformation that preserves good jobs and creates new ones.

With the international Call to Action to strengthen social dialogue, new action-oriented initiatives have also emerged. One specific example is a project initiated by the German Government together with the ILO, which integrates social partners in developing countries more fully in the updating of national climate targets (NDC 3.0). Previously, this only occurred in 10 per cent of countries. The social partners now have access to improved data and best-practice examples so that environmental and employment aspects can be aligned. This strengthens the resilience of regions, businesses and jobs in the long term.

The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions (External link) was launched in 2021 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Its aim is to extend access to social protection to an additional four billion people by 2030 and create 400 million decent jobs. The dual strategy of social protection and employment is an important lever for reducing poverty and hunger, protecting people against crises and making societies more resilient in the face of global challenges such as climate change. The G7 supported this initiative during Germany’s G7 Presidency in 2022.

The German Government supports the attainment of these goals and therefore initiated the M-GA (External link) (Multistakeholder Engagement to Implement the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions and the World Bank Social Protection and Jobs Compass) between the UN, the World Bank and many partner and donor countries. With the M-GA, a coordination and financing mechanism was established at global level, involving UN organisations and the World Bank as well as governments and civil society from the Global North and the Global South. In the first round of proposals under the M-GA initiative, nine innovative projects to strengthen social protection and promote decent jobs were funded. Approximately 20 further countries are receiving support in the second round, which began in May 2025. The BMZ has provided a total of 27 million euros in funding for this purpose.