International Labour Standards for the members of the Egyptian House of Representatives

Press release | 14 September 2022

Cairo (ILO News)- The ILO and the Ministry of Manpower organized a briefing session on International Labour Standards (ILS) for the members of the Egyptian House of Representatives.

The session is being held over the period of two days, on September 14 and 15, 2022 in Ain Al Sokhna, with the participation of 30 deputies of the Egyptian House of Representatives, and the attendance of Mr Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO DWT CO Cairo and H.E Mr. Håkan Emsgård Ambassador of Sweden in Egypt.

This event is part of the cooperation between the International Labour Organization, the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the General Secretariat of the Egyptian Parliament in order to promote the application of ILS in Egypt.

The aim of this session is to facilitate the Parliament's access to information on ILS, to inform the Parliament Members about the substance of these standards, as well as procedures involving national parliaments directly. It was furthermore discussed how the application of ILO conventions can influence national legislation.

Mr. Eric Oechslin, ILO Director explained that “ILS aim to improve and strengthen the working environment for all, under conditions that guarantee freedom, equity, security and dignity.” He added that this partnership is a unique example of the ILO cooperation with multiple national authorities to enhance the ratification and application of ILS in Egypt.

At the opening Ambassador Emsgård also underlined the importance of ILS in today’s globalized economy as a tool that helps to bring benefits to all.

The cooperation between the ILO and the Egyptian Parliament in organizing these ILS information sessions has started since 2017. This session is the second of its kind, following the 1st briefing session that was held on December 18 and 19, 2021 in Alexandria and was attended by House of Representatives deputies from the Committees of Manpower, External Relations, Human Rights and Industry.

It is worth noting that this cooperation comes within the framework of the ILO project "Advancing Decent Work Agenda in North Africa (ADWA’)", which is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).

The project aims to support evidence-based policies on various dimensions of decent work, in addition to focusing on supporting the ratification of ILS and their reflection on national legislation and jurisprudence.