Geneva labor forum hears Iran’s call for peace, worker protection
Iran’s Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ahmad Meydari called on Asia-Pacific labor ministers on Tuesday to spearhead a global effort to address the human cost of war, proposing that next year’s International Labor Organization discussions focus on “war and the workers of the world.”
Speaking via videoconference at the Asia-Pacific Group (ASPAG) ministerial meeting during the 114th International Labor Conference in Geneva, Meydari said building “a harmonious world with lasting peace and universal welfare” requires deeper cooperation among nations and a collective rejection of conflict.
He urged labor leaders to convene a dedicated international gathering that would “condemn war with a clear and powerful voice” and mobilize all available capacities to prevent future conflicts.
Framing his remarks through a historical narrative associated with Cyrus the Great, Meydari said humanity continues to confront a timeless question. “Why war? Why hostility instead of friendship?” he asked, arguing that the challenge remains as relevant today as it was in antiquity.
Meydari said workers and farmers, particularly in developing countries, often bear the heaviest burden of wars and geopolitical rivalries. He warned that armed conflicts inflict costs far beyond the battlefield, disrupting livelihoods, destroying communities and undermining social welfare.
“The path to prosperity does not run through conflict,” he said. “Lasting development is achieved through cooperation, mutual respect and shared interests.”
The minister pointed to Asia’s economic and industrial transformation since World War II as evidence that nations can attain growth and modernization through partnership rather than domination. The region’s progress, he said, has been driven by collaboration and constructive engagement rather than confrontation.
Meydari also highlighted the growing role of multilateral groupings such as BRICS, describing them as efforts to promote a more balanced international order grounded in peace, cooperation and mutual benefit. He cited the bloc’s vision of creating “a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity.”
Calling for stronger solidarity among labor ministers, Meydari said fair and open economic relations can expand opportunities for all countries and dispel the notion that one nation’s gains must come at another’s expense.
“Let us choose the path of blessing over exploitation,” he said. “Let us come together as ministers of the Asia-Pacific region and ensure this message reaches the world.”