Why is it important for you to be here at the ILO Conference?
“For me as an Icelander it’s very important to be here because what’s going on in the world really matters for the workers in Iceland. That’s the same for all the representatives who are here.
It is also important because like we say, if you get a cold in the USA, you get a pneumonia in the rest of the world. The financial and economic crisis and the responses on that crisis are a main issue here.”

You are a distinguished member of the drafting committee from the Committee of the Whole on Crisis Responses. What is the aim of this drafting committee and what should be the outcomes in your opinion?
“This drafting committee in the committee of the whole is negotiating a global jobs pact, and that’s of course very important. Last year we had a declaration for a fair globalization, now my feeling is that the emphasizes in the world is a bit different. We are not only talking about economic globalization or global trade, but we are talking about what is necessary for individual states to be strong with a strong economy, a strong working force, to be able to participate in a fair globalization. The drafting committee is a very important committee that is also trying to get a commitment from the member states, that there is one common objective that we should protect the jobs in the world, that we should create more jobs and that we should them have decent. So, this is quite important in the ongoing discussions and my hope for the outcome of this committee is that it will give the ILO a very strong mandate to be the international organization speaking for the working people and a base for negotiations with the IMF, the world bank, all big players in the world today.”

The world is definitely changing. World bank, IMF, G20, WTO, are all listening now to ILO. Why is this such an important evolution?
“It ‘s a very important evolution indeed. The last G20 meeting actually is asking the ILO to contribute into the responses that we have now to this crisis. I think the role of the ILO is growing. All the way back tot '98 when we had the decent work agenda put on the table, ILO has been gaining more power and authorithy within the international community.”

Thank you very much for this interview, dear colleage Magnus.