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Dr. Danilo Türk to take leadership of the Global Fairness Initiative Board of Directors assuming role from José Maria Figuerez, Former President of Costa Rica steps down
Washington, DC – The Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), a leading NGO dedicated to improving livelihoods for the working poor, announced today that Former President of Slovenia, Dr. Danilo Türk will head the GFI Board of Directors replacing outgoing Chair José Maria Figuerez.
“I am honored to serve as Chair of the Board of the Global Fairness Initiative and to join my fellow Board members in a collective spirit to develop the work of GFI in the future,” said Dr. Turk. “I would also like to emphasize my deep respect and gratitude for the work done by President Jose Maria Figueres who has governed this organization with great distinction and his vision will continue to inspire us.”
Dr. Türk served as President of the Republic of Slovenia from 2007 to 2012 and was the first the Slovenian Permanent Representative to the United Nations. At the UN he was a non-permanent member of the Security Council as well as a member of UN Human Rights Committee. Later he was appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs before returning to Slovenia where in 2007 he was elected as the third President of Republic of Slovenia where he served until 2012. A former professor and director of the Institute for International Law of the University of Ljubljana, Dr. Türk served on the Constitutional Commission of the Slovenian National Assembly co-wrote the human rights chapter of the 1991 Slovenian Constitution.
“Dr. Türk will lead an exceptional Board rich with grassroots and grass tops leaders and luminaries,” said José Maria Figuerez, former President of Costa Rica and outgoing GFI Board Chair. “I am pleased to transition a role I inherited from Former President Clinton to such an able leader as Danilo, and I am honored to have been part of this organization for these past 10 years.”
The Global Fairness Initiative is an international NGO that works towards a more equitable, sustainable approach to economic development through innovative programs to reduce poverty, enfranchise informal communities, and advance human rights and livelihoods. Founded in a decade ago by Karen Tramontano, GFI has implemented programs that strengthen rights and livelihoods, and generate opportunity for the working poor in Africa, Asia and Central America.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Türk has agreed to Chair the GFI Board. His intellect, leadership and sheer depth of experience will bring enormous value to GFI as we enter a new decade of work to advance the rights, livelihoods and enfranchisement of the working poor,” said Karen Tramontano, Founder of GFI.
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Sustainable economic development with a genuine and large scale impact requires the engagement of a well-trained and productive workforce. Organized labor and engaged workforce communities have always been a cornerstone of civil society and leaders in social equity and human rights movements. By engaging unions and other organized formal and informal worker groups, GFI seeks to expand the reach of our economic development initiatives and broaden the impact of social services in the countries where we work.
Promoting labor rights and peaceful labor relations is important for attracting investments that create growth and improve livelihoods. Growing trends such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the importance of brand reputation means that multi-national companies now view decent working conditions and protection of local community rights as fundamental to the longer term sustainability of their operations. In Guatemala and El Salvador, GFI brought fair labor standards to the forefront of national agendas by leveraging bilateral trade agreement labor obligations and CSR interests. In bringing together such diverse actors as labor unions, international textile and apparel brands, and local private sector and government representatives, GFI helped pave the way for an unprecedented set of agreements that have created the basis for improved conditions and competitiveness in the textile and apparel industries.
Active Informality Projects:
The Tunisia Inclusive Labor Initiative
The Tunisia Inclusive Labor Initiative (TILI) is a partnership between GFI, Partners for Democratic Change and the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS), a local Tunisian civil society organization. The goal of the TILI program is to catalyze opportunities and policies to create greater inclusion of Tunisia’s informal sector into the formal economy. The TILI program is working with government and civil society to increase Tunisia’s capacity to create policies that promote formalization, and to educate informal workers on core livelihood benefits accompanying formal participation in the economy. The program supports public institutions in better measuring and engaging the informal sector, it helps develop the capacity of informal workers to register and participate in government and provides support for the establishment of mechanisms that facilitate the extension of social protections.
Completed Informality Projects:
"Thanks to GFI, today we see the opportunity to be part of a political discussion, especially for street vendors and those who did not have the opportunity to have a formal education."
- Jorge Peralta, Street Vendor - Guatemala City
GFI’s experiences have demonstrated the importance of workforce development for achieving tangible results such as improved working conditions, fair wages, empowered women, and increased market access. Whether in post-conflict Guatemala, the challenging political environment of Nicaragua, or post-revolution Tunisia, GFI creates the common linkages that bring Government, Private Sector and Workforce communities together to solve economic challenges and broadly impact poverty reduction goals.
Read about all of GFI efforts to build inclusive and formalized economies for the world's working poor below:
The Central American Labor Rights Project
Promoting Informal Labor Rights
Verapaz Community Empowerment Program
2011 Eradicating Forced Labor Seminar
