WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and a delegation from the department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs joined labor ministers to discuss shared labor and employment priorities at the G20 Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil, from July 25 to 26, 2024.
Before the meeting began, the U.S. and Brazil launched a campaign calling for joint global action to address the impacts of workplace heat stress, made possible by the countries’ Partnership for Workers’ Rights and collaboration with the International Labor Organization.
“It was a pleasure to represent the most pro-worker administration in U.S. history at the G20 Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting, an important prelude to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “We deliberated on priority areas of focus for the G20, including fostering the creation of good jobs with union protections, securing a just transition to a clean energy future and addressing the gender pay gap. Brazil continues to be a tremendous partner for us on worker empowerment and rights worldwide.”
In addition to participating in the ministers’ meeting and related events focused on just transition and equal pay, Acting Secretary Su held bilateral meetings with Brazil’s Minister of Labor Luiz Marinho and South Africa’s Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo and others.
Su also joined Minister Marinho and labor leaders for a dialogue on the Partnership for Workers’ Rights and app-delivery workers in Brazil; and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian Federal Labor Prosecutor and a memorandum of cooperation with Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
During the event, Acting Secretary Su and Minister Marinho announced funding for a new $4 million project, “Reducing Barriers to Education and Decent Work for LGBTQI+ Youth,” during a joint media conference. The project will help youth in Brazil and other Latin American countries access educational and employment opportunities in safe and affirming environments. They also announced a $7 million project in 2024 to increase worker voice in climate policies and just transition planning, which will include a South-South component to share learnings from Brazil.
The department co-chaired the G20 Labor Income Share and Inequalities Subgroup alongside South Africa as the incoming G20 Presidency in 2025. It also co-chaired the G20 Occupational Safety and Health Network with Türkiye. Statements resulting from the subgroup and the OSH Network were annexed to the 2024 G20 Labor and Employment Ministerial Declaration.
