Courtesy of UN

In an era that seems to be increasingly defined by employment (or the lack of it), the United Nations called for member states to begin taking steps to not only provide jobs for the jobless of today, but to commit to institutional reform that will prevent global economic downturns of the future from being as disruptive and painful as this one has been.

Leading this charge for a more secure job market were two leaders of the UN, who spoke on the matter at a meeting of the General Assembly on Monday. Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, the President of the General Assembly, and Jan Eliasson, the newly minted Deputy Secretary-General, made the case for “far-reaching vision” when it comes to economic reform, and urged nations not to sacrifice the promise of the future in order to satisfy the needs of the present.

“Short-term gain should never occur at the expense of long-term progress,” said Mr. Eliasson, who served as president of the General Assembly during its 60^th session.

“These policies can spell the difference between stability and crisis, between prosperity and poverty and even between life and death.”

Mr. Nasser agreed with his predecessor’s remarks, invoking the spirit and outcome document of Rio+20; a major UN conference earlier this year that called for economic and environmental reforms designed to be sustainable.

“Particular focus is being placed on how macro-economic policymaking can be re-shaped to achieve stability, create employment and decent work, and promote productive capacities, including in the green economy,” he noted.

The PGA and Deputy SG’s remarks come at a time when many pundits remain pessimistic about the future of jobs in both developed and undeveloped economies, and when joblessness has provoked social upheaval and instability in numerous states. They hope that these words of encouragement will help spark a labor recovery, and roll back the global pall that has lingered persistently over employment reports for years – and keep it back for good.