The ILO has approved a new 'landmark declaration' which it claims 'marks the most important renewal of the Organisation since the adoption of the historic "Declaration of Philadelphia" in 1944'. The Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation represents a wholesale restatement of the ILO's fundamental principles and its ways of working.

A new version of the workplace social compliance standard, SA8000, has been issued by Social Accountability International (SAI). They state that the compliance requirements of SA8000:2008 are broadly the same and that the majority of changes are clarifications in response to frequently asked questions. However, there are some interesting and significant new developments.

The General Assembly of the United Nations has agreed an additional target for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - the achievement of 'full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people’.

Business for Social Responsibility, the US-based membership organization working with the business community has published Beyond Monitoring, a report critical of the dominant model of supply chain codes monitored by factory social auditors.  These efforts are, BSR suggests, marked by ‘inconsistency, duplication and inefficiency, and too often reflect ad hoc decision making rather than a systems-based approach’.