"The UITBB regards this particular regional meeting we have convened here in Bamako to be critical and timely precisely because of the current extraordinary international situation and the unprecedented global economic and financial crisis.
According to the International Labour Office, the global economic crisis is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people joining the ranks of the unemployed, working poor and those in precarious employment. It is anticipated that global unemployment in 2009 could increase over 2007 by a range of 18 million to 30 million workers, and perhaps by even more than 50 million if the situation continues to deteriorate. The ILO report also said that some 200 million workers, mostly in developing economies, could be pushed into extreme poverty."
