As world leaders converge on New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), decent work, workers’ financial security and social protection are emerging as key issues in discussions on how governments should manage rapid technological, economic and environmental transformation.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is using the high-level gathering to press for policies that put workers’ rights and social justice at the centre of economic transformation, with particular attention to the changing nature of work, financial resilience and the impact of new technologies.

UNGA81 opened on September 8, with the general debate scheduled for September 22 to 28 under the theme, ‘Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All’.

The session comes amid geopolitical tensions, constrained development financing, rapid technological change and efforts to strengthen multilateral cooperation.

A major focus of the labour discussions will be the changing world of work and the governance of technological transformation.

According to the ILO, the adoption in June of the Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, 2026 (No. 193), the first international labour standard dedicated to the platform economy, is expected to provide a global framework for protecting workers’ rights while supporting fair competition and sustainable economic growth.

At a high-level event on September 25, titled ‘Shaping the Future of Work: Decent Work in the Platform Economy,’ the ILO and its partners are expected to examine the implications of the new convention for digital transformation, artificial intelligence and the governance of emerging forms of work.

The discussions will also explore how international labour standards, social dialogue and labour market institutions can help ensure that technological innovation contributes to decent work, inclusive growth and sustainable development.

On financial security, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) is expected to convene a session titled ‘The Workplace: A New Frontier for Promoting Financial Health’, which will examine how workplaces can strengthen workers’ financial resilience and inclusion while ensuring that emerging financial services and technologies are designed and used responsibly.

Expectedly, discussions will cover job creation, productive and sustainable enterprises, living wages, skills development, social protection and the transition from informal to formal employment.

As preparations gather pace for the 2027 Sustainable Development Goals Summit and early discussions begin on the post-2030 development agenda, the ILO said full and productive employment and decent work should remain central to global development efforts.

It maintained that decent work is not only an objective of sustainable development but also a key means of achieving it.