Italy has invited labour ministers from the Group of Five (G5) nations (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) and Egypt to take part in the Group of Eight (G8) Social Summit at the end of the month, the labour ministry announced on Monday.
The March 29-31 meeting, which Italy has organised, in its role as G8 president in 2009, will focus on the social repercussions of the global economic crisis.
Representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will also attend the Rome gathering, the ministry said.
''It will be an important opportunity to discuss and approve measures which could potentially help improve the social situation and have positive effects on the duration of the crisis as well as speed up economic recovery,'' the ministry said.
After a meeting with Welfare Minister Maurizio Sacconi in Rome last month, the OECD's Secretary-General Angel Gurria said his organisation was preparing an analysis on the social effects of the crisis for the March meeting.
The G8 comprises Italy, Japan, the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Russia.
Italy took over the G8 presidency from Japan in January and the group's main summit will be held on the island of La Maddalena off northern Sardinia on July 8-10.
