Press releases

March 2003 

• ILO Governing Body convenes 286 th session
  06 March 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) opened its 286 th session here today and is to consider the appointment of the Director-General and a zero, real-growth programme and budget for the 2004-05 biennium during its three-week session.

February 2003 

• ILO to Mark International Women's Day Four top women reporters to discuss war and conflict
  28 February 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) will mark International Women's Day on 7 March this year with a discussion by four award-winning women journalists on war and conflict, and the special challenges it poses to them and other women.
• High-level Tripartite Conference to Assess Social Dialogue, Labour Law in EU Accession Countries
  27 February 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The 13 European Union accession states will gather in Valetta, Malta on 28 February for a high-level international Conference on social dialogue and labour law reform aimed at exploring new ways of meeting the economic and social challenges as they prepare to join an expanded EU.
• ILO to consider future of employment in the tobacco sector Geneva, 24-28 February 2003
  18 February 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Workers, employers and governments meet here on 24 to 28 February to consider, for the first time, the future of the world's 100 million workers who depend in some way on the production, manufacture and distribution of tobacco and tobacco products for their livelihood.
• Fourth Meeting of the World Commission on Social Dimension of Globalization
  14 February 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization will hold its fourth meeting at the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 16-18 February 2003.
• FIFA and ILO team up on worldwide campaign to fight child labour
  13 February 2003 - ZURICH (ILO News) - The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have agreed to wave a "Red Card to Child Labour", uniting the world of sport and the world of work in an unprecedented global campaign.

January 2003 

• Travel woes, economic downturncost millions of jobs in world tourism
  28 January 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Millions of jobs in the world tourism sector have been lost due to political turmoil, the global economic downturn and growing unease among many travellers with little prospect of any recovery in employment in the sector before 2005, according to a new report * by the International Labour Office (ILO) issued online today.
• The vital link: Public emergency services face growing pressure
  27 January 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - In addition to rising crime, violence, accidents and terror attacks, firefighters, police, paramedics and others in the public emergency sector in many countries are increasingly facing new challenges as a result of deteriorating working conditions, according to a new report * by the International Labour Office (ILO).
• New ILO Report on Global Employment Trends 2003
  24 January 2003 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Two years of economic slowdown has pushed the number of unemployed to new heights worldwide, with little prospect of any improvement in the global employment situation this year, according to a new report entitled Global Employment Trends issued here today by the International Labour Office (ILO).

December 2002 

• Real Madrid football club teams up with ILO to fight child labour
  13 December 2002 - MADRID (ILO News) - The Real Madrid football club and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are teaming up to raise a "Red card" to the child labour in its worst forms - a practice that traps one of every eight children - or some 180 million worldwide - in exploitative, often dangerous work.
• ILO to seek "productive solution" to Latin American/Caribbean labour woes
  10 December 2002 - LIMA (ILO News) - At a time when the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a situation marked by a rise in unemployment, an increase in poverty and a pronounced decline in social and labour conditions, the International Labour Organization (ILO) begins its XV th Regional Meeting of ILO member States in the Americas to seek a "productive solution" to the region's labour troubles.

November 2002 

• ILO Governing Body concludes 285th session
  22 November 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office's (ILO) Governing Body concluded its 285 th session here today following two weeks of spirited discussion over issues ranging from strengthening tripartism among its social partners, to the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, Colombia and forced labour in Myanmar.
• Latest report of ILO Committee on Freedom of Association cites Belarus, Colombia, Zimbabwe, others
  21 November 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Belarus, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Zimbabwe are among the serious and urgent cases cited today by the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association, whose report was adopted by the 285 th meeting of the ILO Governing Body, for serious infringements of the principle of freedom of association and violations of trade union rights.
• ILO Governing Body meets on 7-22 Novemberto discuss Myanmar, occupied Arab territories and global economic measures
  07 November 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) opens its 285 th session here today with a focus on forced labour in Myanmar, a fund for workers in the occupied Arab territories and a host of measures aimed at employment creation and social policy.

October 2002 

• Joint Programme Launches New Initiative Against Workplace Violence in the Health Sector
  24 October 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Faced with a mounting toll of violence afflicting on average one of every two health workers worldwide, a joint programme of labour, health and public service organizations today launched a new initiative aimed at helping health professionals fight fear, assault, humiliation and even homicide where they work.
• ILO meeting to discuss social dialogue in the health services
  18 October 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Representatives of workers, employers and governments will meet at the International Labour Organization's Geneva headquarters on 21-25 October to discuss the need for social dialogue in advancing and sustaining reforms in many areas of the health sector, including efforts to deal with the growing problem of violence against health care providers at their places of work.
• ILO, ADB join forces to improve labour standards, promote development
  11 October 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have joined forces to improve labour standards as a means of promoting development and reducing poverty in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Productivity gains, occupational hazards run high in mining sector
  07 October 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Mineral production is increasing as mining employment steadily declines, according to an International Labour Office (ILO) report which says that well over 3 million miners' jobs have been lost in the last five years alone.
• More children, fewer teachers:New UNESCO-ILO study sees global teacher shortage causing decline in quality education
  05 October 2002 - PARIS/GENEVA (ILO News) - Relentless population growth and declining working conditions are creating a severe shortage of teachers in the world's classrooms that may lead to a slide in education standards, according to a new global study by UNESCO and the Geneva-based International Labour Office.
• Visit of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan to the International Labour Office
  03 October 2002 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan will visit the International Labour Office (ILO) on Thursday 3 October to meet ILO Director-General Juan Somavia and other senior officials of the Organization.