United Nations Radio

The International Monetary Fund, the IMF, has called for increased cooperation with the International Labour Organization -ILO.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

The call comes from IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, saying coordination between multilateral institutions is crucial in addressing the global economic crisis.
In remarks to a high-level meeting of the ILO's Governing Body, Strauss-Kahn says "the IMF was established for a range of reasons, including the promotion of growth and employment around the world."
He says "having the input of the ILO - that is of workers and employers - is crucial for the IMF."
Strauss-Kahn however warns that "the current financial crisis must not become a wasteland of unemployment" and urged governments and international institutions to work closer together to address the immediate consequences of the economic downturn.
At the same time, the head of the International Labor Organization, Juan Somavia, describes international coordination to tackle the crisis as "weak" saying "the financial, trade, economic, employment and social roots of the global crisis are interlinked and so must be the policy responses."

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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