External Partnerships and Policy at the European Union - IOE’s Engagement

Overview of the latest engagements between IOE and the European Union.

The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) is regularly engaged in consultations on international cooperation and beyond, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 17.  IOE’s engagement is also aligned with the policy areas related to its mandate, namely employment, work-related challenges and developments, skills and education, and responsible business conduct.

One such engagement is the Global Gateway, which is part of the EU’s commitment to scale the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and adherence to the IOE Strategic Framework.  

The Global Gateway continues to emerge as the EU’s overarching framework to better guide international partnerships, cooperation, and external action and aims to mobilise €300 billion of investments for the EU private sector to meet global infrastructure targets in low- and middle-income economies in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. As part of the Steering Group of the Advisory Platform to the EU Global Gateway (Civil Society Organisations/Local Authorities – CSO/LAs), IOE is continuously advocating for the importance of scaling partnerships, particularly with national employers’ organisations, to better ensure local economic development. The next high-level event of the Global Gateway will take place in Brussels from 10-11 October 2024.  IOE members from these regions are encouraged to share their key priorities for transformative and major infrastructure projects in the Digitalisation, Climate & Energy, Transport, Health and Education sectors.

Key policy consultations

Policy Forum on Development

2024 has been a crucial year at the EU Policy Forum for Development (PFD), a multistakeholder platform where IOE represents the global private sector. The PFD’s Charter has been revised, focusing further on accountability, membership, governance, and modalities of work. IOE staff member Ramon Moraes Sales Moura was a key part of this four-month revision process, which culminated in an in-person meeting on 20 and 21 June 2024 in Brussels. The revised Charter will not only shape the PFD’s function and scope, but also its relationship with the Directorate General for International Partnerships, after the end of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen’s mandate. Further reflection is still needed on the PFD’s position as a platform under the overarching framework of the Global Gateway.

The PFD is currently planning an agenda for the upcoming Africa Regional PFD Meeting, which will take place from 26-27 November 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. IOE members are encouraged to suggest crucial agenda items for this multistakeholder event.

Regional Consultations

During the sixth consultative discussion with CSOs and Associations of Local Authorities (ALAs) on EU regional programming for Sub-Saharan Africa (2021-2027) to which IOE members from Africa were invited, IOE highlighted key areas of interest for its members, including skills training aligned with market needs, job creation strategies, especially for youth, and action plans to address informality.

IOE members from Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Americas are further invited to view the current programmes and action plans for their respective regions.

Steering Group for the EU Gender Action Plan

As part of the Steering Committee for the EU Gender Action Plan (EU GAP III), IOE, represented by Ms Anelise Araujo, supports the monitoring of GAP III implementation and also shares pertinent results from IOE's Gender, Equality & Diversity Policy Working Group (PWG) to a wider multistakeholder group.  The information gathered from the GAP III Steering Committee has contributed to the activities of the IOE PWG, including inputs to the ILO Care Economy Resolution discussions. The next meeting of the GAP III Steering Committee in September 2024 will focus on preparing for the next Structured Dialogue at the end of the year, where issues on the intersection between gender and the Global Gateway and gender and climate may feature. Members are invited to suggest additional topics that should be discussed.