What an amazing set of reflections. Thank you very much, Francis. Brian Langille, who is the co-editor of the book, and I are very grateful to the Swiss Confederation, and particularly to Ambassador Valérie Berset-Bircher, to the Graduate Institute, and to the TASC Platform, led by Kitrhona Cerri, for making this event possible. You’ll be hearing a bit later from Brian Langille, who is in the audience, and will do a wrap-up of our discussion. We’ve just heard reflections, ideas, proposals from Francis Maupain, which will provide an excellent basis for our discussion.

This is also a welcome occasion to give you just a taste of the contents of the book that is dedicated to him: Social Justice and the World of Work: Possible Global Futures. This is not a classic “Liber Amicorum” or “Festschrift.” But rather it contains 31 pithy essays that look towards the future in the cause of social justice. You will hear shortly from three of the altogether 38 contributors to the book.

Why did we want to put this book together? Well, first, we were curious. Shifting political sands, climate change, persistent inequalities, artificial intelligence, demographic trends, the pandemic – all of these have been shaking our received ideas about the world of work, the role of law, and the multilateral system. We wanted to set out a framework for thinking about the future of social justice. The book does not claim to provide all the answers, or be comprehensive, but it does include some fresh analysis and ideas. These come from new voices as well as from seasoned experts.

Second, we wanted to honour Francis Maupain, a mentor to many, and whose life work has shaped the ILO in such critical ways. You’ve already heard about his lasting legacy in the form of the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, and I see we have in the audience we Kari Tapiola who also played a key role in that regard, along with others. The book’s preface sketches out the contributions and career development of Maupain in the ILO; and the ways in which his work has shaped the institution. This is also addressed in the chapter by Jordi Agustí-Panareda, which goes into this further. We have all just heard Maupain’s latest thinking, and this will guide our debate today.

We have five commentators; each will speak briefly before we open up the discussion in a question-and-answer session, followed by a reply by Maupain and then a wrap-up by Brian Langille. We urge those attending online as well as those with us here today to join in, and pose questions or make brief comments in either French or English. Our first commentator will be Brent Wilton, who is Director and Trustee, Center for Sport and Human Rights, and former Secretary General of the International Organization of Employers, who is joining us online from New Zealand …

Having heard an employer perspective, we now turn to Luc Cortebeeck, Honorary President of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Belgium (ACV-CSC), Former Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body. …

Now we will hear from a few of the contributors to the book. First up is Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Professor of Law, University of Geneva, and Guest Professor, Collège de France. Her topic is the ILO and the future of the multilateral system, with an emphasis on environmental protection …

Steve Charnovitz, Associate Professor of Law, George Washington University School of Law, Washington D.C., will now join us online to talk about trade and labour ….

Finally, Isabelle Daugareilh, who is Professor, University of Bordeaux, and Research Director, Centre nationale de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), at COMPTRASEC (Centre de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité sociale), will speak. She will explore the coherence of international labour standards with new forms of self-regulation of cross-border private actors….