Abstract
The Global Supply Chain is too complex, interconnected, and fragile to be made completely immune to shocks, especially ones as seismic as a global pandemic or a major war. Major ports the world over, which used to operate like clockwork, are now beset by delays, with container ships queuing for days in some of the worst congestion ever recorded. A backlog of orders and a shortage of drivers have caused trucking costs to triple. More than a million containers due to travel to Europe from China by train — on a route that goes through Russia — must now make their journey by sea as sanctions bite. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also severed key supply lines for nickel, aluminum, wheat, and sunflower oil, causing commodity prices to skyrocket.
Despite the difficulties of today’s supply crisis, Kevin Cassidy is optimistic about the opportunities being created. He believes it is an exciting time for businesses and labor to rethink supply chains and make them stronger for companies, workers and people around the world.
Biography
With nearly 4 decades of international development experience, Kevin Cassidy is the Director and Representative to the Bretton Woods and Multilateral Organizations for the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for the United States.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Cassidy served as the Senior Communications and Economic and Social Affairs Officer for 11 years in the ILO Office for the United Nations with additional responsible for partnerships in North America. He worked with member states to organize events highlighting decent work and introduced policy language on key development issues into the resolutions and outcomes documents of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee and the Commissions of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Before his assignment to New York, Mr. Cassidy was the Chief Technical Adviser for the ILO’s Global Campaign on Promoting Fundamental Rights at Work. Prior to joining the ILO, Mr. Cassidy worked for the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF-UK) in London as the Operations, Communications and Partnership Director.
He has worked in several UN offices during his career including the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) on the issue of landmines, the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Ban Ki-moon), the UN Department of Public Information and the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS), New York.
Mr. Cassidy holds a master's degree in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
