Cross-border social dialogue also occurs in the context of inter-state arrangements within groupings of countries in one region of the globe or across multiple regions, such as the Group of Seven (G7), which comprises the world’s seven largest developed countries.
Dialogue between businesses and unions on important policy matters for the governance of globalization, including in the areas of skills and social protection for inclusive growth, result in bipartite and tripartite high-level statements, incorporating issues related to global supply chains.
The G7 summit brings together the Heads of State or Government of the seven member countries. In the run-up to each summit, employers' and workers' organizations of participating countries can meet separately to make recommendations on the issues raised on the leaders' agenda and present them to the government of the country chairing the summit, on a rotating basis.
On some occasions, the “B7” (on the business side) and the “L7” (on the trade union side) agree on a joint statement jointly submitted to the leaders.
Examples of recent joint statements:
- The 2024 Joint statement on Shaping the advancement of Artificial Intelligence through social dialogue
- The 2023 B7-L7 joint statement
- The 2022 B7-L7 joint statement on actions to promote job opportunities, decent work, skills and entrepreneurship.
- On the eve of the G7 summit in Cornwall, UK, in June 2021, L7 and B7 called on the G7 leaders to include in their statements, robust commitments to an inclusive recovery as well as actions that promote job opportunities, decent work, skills and entrepreneurship. The joint statement can be found here.
- A B7-L7 joint declaration on fighting inequalities, ahead of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, under French presidency in August 2019 can be found here.
At the same summit, the first ever G7 Social Tripartite Declaration was reached.
The G7 has also emphasized the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in fostering safer and more sustainable workplaces within global supply chains (GSCs). In 2015, the ILO and the G7 agreed on a series of measures, including the creation of a multidonor Vision Zero Fund for action in producing countries to support the application of ILO standards on occupational safety and health (OSH) in sectors linked to GSCs.