Press releases

June 2001 

• International Labour Conference to Explore "Decent Work Deficit"
  01 June 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The shortage of adequate employment opportunities is "the fault line in the world today," according to the annual report of the International Labour Office (ILO) Director-General Juan Somavia to the 89 th Session of the International Labour Conference, which meets in Geneva from 5-21 June.

May 2001 

• ILO study finds forced labour and human trafficking on the rise
  25 May 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Forced labour, slavery and criminal trafficking in human beings - especially women and children - are on the rise worldwide and taking new and insidious forms, according to a new study by the International Labour Office (ILO) released here today.

April 2001 

• ILO to mark international commemoration day for dead and injured workers
  24 April 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - In memory of workers who die, are injured or fall ill due to unsustainable forms of production, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is to mark the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers at its headquarters here with a solemn ceremony on Friday, 27 April.
• Hotel, catering and tourism employment expanding worldwide, but globalization leaves many small and medium sized enterprises behind
  02 April 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Although the hotel, catering and tourism (HCT) sectors produce an estimated 3-4 per cent of GDP in most of the world economy and employ approximately 3 per cent of the world's total labour force, its workers earn "on average at least 20 per cent less than workers in other economic sectors," according to an ILO report prepared for a tripartite meeting of industry experts, which ...

March 2001 

• ILO launches new publications aimed at finding solutions to youth employment challenge
  30 March 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Calling youth unemployment and underemployment "extremely serious and damaging for society as a whole," the International Labour Office (ILO) is launching two new publications designed at stimulating employers, workers and governments to find solutions to the global youth jobs challenge.
• ILO Governing Body Concludes 280th session: Labour Standards, Myanmar and HIV/AIDS among agenda items
  30 March 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) concluded its 280 th session today after reviewing annual reports filed by member States under the Follow-up to the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and discussing forced labour in Myanmar, workers' rights in Colombia, HIV/AIDS and the links between globalization and the world of work.
• ILO Governing Body convenes 280th Session Programme and Budget, Labour Standards, Myanmar and HIV/AIDS among Agenda Items
  12 March 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) opened its 280 th session today and was to consider an innovative, zero, real-growth programme and budget for the years 2002-2003 that is designed to further enhance the Organization's ability to create jobs, promote basic rights at work, and foster social protection and social dialogue.
• ILO hails signing of historical Labour Accord between Spanish-based telecoms giant and Union Network International
  12 March 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Juan Somavia, today hailed an agreement on a Code of Conduct signed by the Spanish-based telecommunications giant Telefónica and the global Union Network International (UNI) as a historical milestone in industrial relations.
• ILO Director-General Takes aim at "Glass Ceiling" Commits Organisation to Gender Equality in Workplace
  08 March 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - "We cannot afford to lose out on women's talent," said Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, insisted today in an address to a panel of international dignitaries on the occasion of International Women's Day. "Improving gender equality in the workplace", he added "Is the right thing to do; it's the smart thing to do."
• ILO to Celebrate International Women's Day Conference to highlight women achievers
  02 March 2001 - Geneva ( ILO News) - On March 8, International Women's Day, the ILO is holding a conference to highlight the achievements of women who have managed to break through the pervasive but often invisible barriers to achievement that stymy the careers of so many others seeking equality of opportunity at the top echelons of international organizations and enterprises.

February 2001 

• Financial sector workforce hit by mergers and acquisitions "Human Factor" is key element in success rates for merged companies
  05 February 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The decade long wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) thatis reshaping the world's banking and financial service sectors is accelerating aggregateemployment declines in an industry that was traditionally characterized by stable and evenlifetime employment, according to an ILO report released in Geneva today for a tripartitemeeting of industry experts.

January 2001 

• ILO calls on UN General Assembly Special Session to emphasize child labour
  26 January 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office (ILO) is urging that the global scourge of child labour be a major focus of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children.
• International Shipping Industry Adopts "Geneva Accord"
  26 January 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The 29 th session of the Joint Maritime Commission today announced a major agreement, known as the Geneva Accord, designed to improve safety and working conditions in the maritime industry.
• ILO's World Employment Report 2001: Despite Improved Employment Outlook, Digital Divide Looms Large
  24 January 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Despite improvements in labour market performance in industrialized countries and the growing potential of information technology to create jobs and spur development, the global employment picture remains "deeply flawed" for workers in many parts of the world, according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO).
• ILO Body To Consider New "Bill of Rights" for Seafarers
  19 January 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The Joint Maritime Commission (JMC) of the International Labour Organization (ILO) opens a five-day meeting here Monday to consider updating the minimum wage for able seafarers, and to fashion a new "bill of rights" for all seafarers on the high seas.
• The future of decent work in the global economy: High-level group of experts to debate future trends in work, Employment and social protection
  16 January 2001 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The future of work, employment and social protection in the global economy will be the focus of a high-level international conference of international experts organized jointly by the French Ministry of Employment and Solidarity and the International Institute for Labour Studies of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Annecy, France, 18-19 January, at the Hôtel Impéri ...

December 2000 

• ILO Joins Celebration of United Nations' International Migrants Day
  18 December 2000 - GENEVA (ILO News) - On the occasion of the first UN International Migrants Day, Mr. ...
• ILO urges training to offset European "skills gap" in Informationand Communications Technology as Sixth European Regional Meeting Convenes in Geneva
  11 December 2000 - GENEVA (ILO News) - The "skills gap" in Europe's information and communications technology (ICT) workforce risks becoming "a critical bottleneck to the expansion of ICT industries" according to a report prepared for the ILO's Sixth European Regional Meeting , which meets in Geneva from 12 to 15 December.
• Ilo Sees Further Sharp Drop in African Labour Force Due to HIV/AIDS
  01 December 2000 - GENEVA (ILO News) - In the face of new projections which show a sharp decline in the size of Africa's workforce due to AIDS, the International Labour Organization (ILO) today announced plans for a new programme against HIV/AIDS in the workplace aimed at helping governments, workers and employers in their struggle with the disease.

November 2000 

• The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Joins the ILO
  28 November 2000 - GENEVA (ILO News) - Following the adoption of the resolution 55/12 by the United Nations General Assembly under which the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was admitted in the membership of the United Nations, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has joined, on 24 November 2000, the International Labour Organization following the Government's acceptance of the obligations of membership as laid down in ...