ECOSOC at 80

As an organisation with special consultative status since 2023, IOSH (as a non-governmental organisation (NGO)) is proud to be able to contribute to the ECOSOC agenda.

For IOSH, this is not just an anniversary. It is a reminder of the responsibility and opportunity we now hold as part of a global platform dedicated to solving humanity’s most pressing challenges. On this international and multilateral stage, we have an opportunity to advocate for and influence all actors to consider and action good occupational safety and health (OSH) as part of their roles, remits, responsibilities and influences. Specifically, we can advocate for our IOSH principles of good OSH to be adopted as part of decent work and for driving good OSH as a way to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs are deeply interconnected. Progress on one is impossible without progress on others. For IOSH, decent work sits at the centre of this web. Without safe, healthy and fair working conditions, and decent work for all, we cannot tackle poverty, reduce inequalities, advance gender equality, protect worker rights or support sustainable economic growth.

ECOSOC’s 80th anniversary is therefore a reminder that global wellbeing depends on safe, healthy and dignified work.

A platform shaped by eight decades of global change

ECOSOC provides a unique space where governments, UN member states, UN agencies, civil society, and other stakeholders meet to shape international responses to the world’s biggest issues. That legacy of collaboration and collective action underpins the reason the UN continues to look to civil society – not as observers, but as active partners. 

And for IOSH, this makes ECOSOC an essential forum for advocating for safe and healthy working environments, worker wellbeing, and sustainable work. Given nearly three million people a year lose their lives work-related harm, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there is still much to do by all of us to ensure every workers right for a safe and healthy working environment is upheld and protected.

In addition to Government taking action at a national level, global corporate interest in the strategic linkage between OSH and human capital management has also gained traction in recent years. There is an impetus from key stakeholders – capital markets, civil society, employers, OSH and human resources professional bodies – in social responsibility issues.

IOSH believes that social sustainability is the backbone of resilience, and that good OSH is fundamental to building and maintaining work, workforces, supply chains and communities that are all sustainable for the future.

Equally crucial to driving corporate action are OSH frameworks existing in countries at a national level. For this reason, IOSH advocates for safe and healthy working conditions to be a reality for all, and for Convention 155 and Convention 187 to be ratified by Member States.  

IOSH’s journey within the UN system

Prior to gaining special consultative status with ECOSOC in 2023, IOSH had already been working with specialised agencies who already operate within the UN system, such as the ILO, World Health Organization and World Bank. In 2024, I had the privilege of representing IOSH at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York – IOSH’s first-ever attendance at this flagship event. The HLPF is the main platform for reviewing progress against Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, for which we want to advocate for and influence the good OSH contribution.

Across a packed series of sessions, reviews and side events, governments highlighted progress and barriers, while NGOs brought the human stories, the lived realities and the pressing concerns of communities around the world.

One thing was clear: the data showed we were not on track to achieve Agenda 2030. Yet amid that difficult message, there were moments of genuine hope and energy.

Looking ahead: IOSH’s future within ECOSOC

IOSH’s engagement in the UN system is still in its early stages, and there is much more to learn. But our participation to date has shown that our voice on health and safety is not only relevant; it is needed. As we celebrate ECOSOC’s 80 years of driving multilateral cooperation, we also reaffirm IOSH’s commitment to playing our part. Safe and healthy work for all is a fundamental enabler of prosperity, equality and resilience. IOSH will continue to use its influence, expertise and global network to champion this message – within the UN, across sectors, and around the world.