ILO's Director-General: News and press releases

January 2024

  1. © Viet Nam News Agency 2024

    High level event

    Viet Nam Prime Minister meets ILO Director-General

    19 January 2024

    Key labour and employment issues discussed include Viet Nam’s continued commitment to ratifying international labour standards and cooperation with the ILO.

December 2023

  1. Official visit

    ILO Director-General: Saudi labour market reforms pivotal for advancing social justice and development in the Kingdom

    14 December 2023

    Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, accompanied by Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat and the Director-General’s Senior Advisor for Africa and Arab States Chad Blackman, met with government, employer and worker representatives and attended the Global Labour Market Conference in Riyadh.

November 2023

  1. © G20 2024

    G20 Virtual Leaders’ Summit

    Climate change and new technologies mean double impact for workers, ILO Director-General underlines

    23 November 2023

    ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo highlighted the need to improve skills training in the face of multiple challenges in the world of work.

October 2023

  1. Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF

    ILO Director-General calls for greater international financial support for critical social needs in developing countries under fiscal stress

    12 October 2023

    In statements to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings, the ILO’s Director-General underlined the importance of helping debt-distressed developing countries to support social protection and decent work.

September 2023

  1. #thiswaytosocialjustice

    ILO launches global communication campaign to promote inequality reduction and social justice

    28 September 2023

    Launched at the Global Citizen Festival in New York, the ILO “This Way to Social Justice" campaign calls for urgent action to reduce inequalities in the world of work.

  2. © Ricardo Stuckert / PR 2024

    Global initiative on decent work

    ILO welcomes US-Brazil global initiative on decent work

    21 September 2023

    The U.S Brazil Partnership for Workers’ Rights aims to ensure safe and fair working conditions, promote a worker-centric transition to clean energy, ensure new technologies benefit workers, and eliminate workplace discrimination.

  3. © UN Photo/Manuel Elias 2024

    UN General Assembly

    ILO Director-General joins UN General Assembly

    15 September 2023

    The ILO Director-General will participate in a series of high-level events, highlighting the need to tackle inequalities, create decent jobs and make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be held during the UN General Assembly.

  4. © G20 2024

    G20 Leaders’ Summit

    ILO welcomes G20 support for just transition measures

    10 September 2023

    G20 Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promote inclusive growth, sustainable development and decent work and their support for the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions.

July 2023

  1. © Asad Zaidi / UNICEF 2024

    Water Action Decade

    Protecting the right to water

    12 July 2023

    Access to safe drinking water and sanitation are established human rights. Yet, halfway through the Water Action Decade, billions of people are still denied them. This year, nations have pledged to drive transformation to a water-secure world, and must now urgently act on their promises.

June 2023

  1. © ILO 2024

    Official visit

    ILO Director-General calls for balance between economic growth and decent employment on his first official visit to Viet Nam

    30 June 2023

    During his two-day trip, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, held talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, senior Vietnamese officials, government ministers and workers’ and employers’ representatives on issues including advancing social justice and promoting decent work.

  2. Press release

    ILO Director-General concludes first ever Philippines visit with call for more social dialogue

    28 June 2023

    Three-day visit includes meetings with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., social partners, migrant workers and a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Philippines joining the ILO.

  3. © Shutterstock 2024

    Press release

    New social contract would lead to bright future for global maritime industry

    27 June 2023

    ILO Director-General delivers keynote speech to mark opening of Seafarer Summit 2050 in the Philippines.

  4. © ILO 2024

    Press release

    ILO Director-General Houngbo to hold first official visit to the Philippines

    23 June 2023

    As the Philippines marks its 75th anniversary of ILO membership, ILO Director-General Houngbo will make his first official visit in the country to promote the Global Coalition for Social Justice, which aims to address growing inequalities and persistent poverty, as well as ensure decent work.

  5. © ILO 2024

    111th International Labour Conference

    International Labour Conference adopts new apprenticeship standard, among other key decisions

    16 June 2023

    The International Labour Conference closed with the adoption of a new recommendation on quality apprenticeships. Delegates also passed resolutions on a just transition and labour protection, as well as adopting the standards report and the programme and budget, and a resolution on Belarus.

  6. © ILO 2024

    World of Work Summit

    Let’s bend the arc of history in favour of social justice, says ILO Director-General

    16 June 2023

    At the World of Work Summit, the ILO’s Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, advocated the need for a new social contract driven by solidarity and fairness.

  7. © ILO 2024

    111th International Labour Conference

    Make social justice a priority issue on the global agenda, says ILO Director-General

    05 June 2023

    ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, emphasized the need to build a Coalition for Social Justice to fight growing inequalities, at the opening session of the 111th International Labour Conference.

May 2023

  1. © Shutterstock_2110795043 2024

    The Global Governance Project

    G7: The job ahead

    12 May 2023

    In an article ahead of the G7 Summit, ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo says the G7’s support in overcoming the challenges of unequal labour markets will help to bring about action and investments in decent work for all – and help to drive shared economic growth. 

April 2023

  1. ILO Japan Centenary

    ILO Director-General praises Japan’s social justice achievements

    27 April 2023

    More than 230 constituents, civil partners, partner institutions, and young people attended the ILO Office for Japan’s centenary celebrations, which took place in central Tokyo on Tuesday, 25 April.

  2. © G7 2024

    G7 Labour and Employment Ministers Meeting

    ILO welcomes G7 commitment to invest in human capital and decent work

    24 April 2023

    G7 labour and employment ministers adopt action plan to tackle major issues facing the world of work.

  3. © Ricardo Stuckert / PR 2024

    News

    Inequality and social justice on the agenda of talks between ILO Director-General and Brazil’s President

    21 April 2023

    On his first official visit to the Latin America and Caribbean region, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo and Brazil’s President Lula discussed the ILO’s Global Coalition for Social Justice initiative.