They went on to state that the untapped potential of the construction industry, which is a major stimulus for economic growth and employment, must be used in the development of infrastructures for training workers for housing development, city reconstruction and maintenance, and environmental management activities. Governments are called upon to establish social protection and labour standards in the informal sector similar to those in the formal sector and to guarantee the social protection of the unemployed. Governments are also called upon to ensure the maximum utilization of locally available and renewable building materials and natural resources as well as appropriate technologies in the construction industry. The elimination of gender discrimination and social inequality and the empowerment of women to enable them to access employment opportunities, information and resources are advocated. The labour union representatives argued that the decrease in development assistance to developing countries has had a negative impact on social development.
Governments have to find alternative resources to fund social programmes.
More resources could be found through the reduction of military expenditures, which are quite high in many developing countries, and utilizing these resources in providing basic and social infrastructure, including the creation of employment opportunities. Delegates supported the presentation and particularly underlined the need to increase respect for the international conventions on the rights of workers, including freedom of association, protection of migrant workers, improvement of working and living conditions in rural areas, improvement of the status of women workers and provisions concerning child labour. They called for equal treatment of both local and expatriate workers and of men and women doing the same jobs. The involvement of non-governmental organizations and local authorities in partnership with labour unions was advocated by delegations in support of the international conventions on workers' rights and working conditions. Investment in the development of human capital and improvement of working conditions were advocated by the delegations, who also stated that such provisions should not lead to de-unionization.