ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N° 6/2008
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New director of ILO’s Brussels office
On 16 June 2008, after a career spent working first for the Belgian Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSC/ACV), where he was
amongst other things involved in the European social dialogue and in the work of the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards at
the International Labour Conference, before switching to the European Commission, where he was responsible, among other things, for
promoting the social dimension of globalisation and relations with ILO, Mr Rudi Delarue took over from Mr Eddy Laurijssen, who retired
at the start of the year, to become the new director of the ILO Liaison Office in Brussels.
International labour Conference
The 97th International Labour Conference came to an end after adopting a landmark Declaration designed to strengthen the promotion of Decent
Work and develop new ways of responding to the growing challenges of globalisation. It also adopted conclusions on rural employment and the
improvement of professional aptitudes. In his main speech, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia happily emphasised that over the past decade the
number of ratifications of ILO’s eight fundamental Conventions had doubled. “Universal ratification is within reach”, he said, “and I have
proposed to you in my report to go for it by 2015”. In this context it is worth pointing out that all the 27 EU Member States have ratified
the eight fundamental Conventions since 2007.
The Committee on the Application of Standards held another special sitting on forced labour in Myanmar and concluded that forced labour is
still very widespread there, including the recruitment of children into the armed forces. The committee also stated that whilst the mechanism
for complaining about forced labour continues to function, no penalties had been imposed on perpetrators under penal law and there had been no
criminal convictions of the armed forces. The committee Commission examined 23 individual cases, including those of Colombia, Belarus,
Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) examined 40 cases, paying special attention to the situations
in Guatemala, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Iran and Venezuela.
Click here to
read the press release published at the end of the Conference or
here to read
the press release on the CFA meeting.
Landmark Declaration on strengthening ILO’s capacity and promoting Decent Work
The 182 tripartite members of the International Labour Conference (ILC) have just unanimously adopted a landmark Declaration on “Social justice
for a fair globalisation” which is the most important ILO reform since the adoption of the Philadelphia Declaration in 1944. The new Declaration
sets out to respond efficiently to the mounting challenges posed by globalisation and constitute a promotional framework for implementing the
Decent Work Agenda in countries, regions and at global level and will make it easier for the ILC to assess the development of the concept of
Decent Work throughout the world, via regular discussions about one of the four pillars of Decent Work (fundamental rights and principles at work,
the promotion of employment, social security and protection, and social dialogue and tripartism) and about its integrated approach. Gender
equality and non-discrimination are transversal issues.
The new Declaration also reiterates the ILO’s mandate to assess the impact of economic, financial and trade policies on employment and invites
other international organisations (such as the World Bank, the IMF, the WTO and other UN agencies) and regional organisations (like the EU) to
promote decent work. Furthermore, to follow up on the Declaration the Conference adopted a Resolution strengthening the ILO’s capacity to assist
the efforts made by its Members to pursue its objectives in the context of globalisation.
During speeches delivered at the plenary session of the ILC, Slovenia’s President-in-Office of the EU’s Council of Ministers and Vladimír
Špidla, the European commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, stressed the landmark nature of the Declaration and
its potential for boosting cooperation between the EU and ILO. The Benelux countries and their social partners also actively contributed towards
the success of the Conference.
Click here
to read this Declaration, or
here to read an
ILO press release that comments on its contents.
New gender equality campaign
ILO is launching a year-long global campaign aimed at highlighting the key role played by gender equality in the Decent Work Agenda and the
action of its principals. The campaign is built around 12 Decent Work themes and will prompt a general debate on gender equality at the
International Labour Conference in 2009, giving delegates an opportunity to consider these issues and draw up a roadmap for promoting gender
equality over the coming decade.
A
website dedicated to this campaign has been put together,
comprising a guide to gender equality resources in the world of work.
Decent Work taken on board in connection with the Panama Canal extension
More than 27,000 workers died during the construction of the Panama Canal, which was inaugurated in 1914. Recently, work began on the canal’s
extension, but this time under the banner of Decent Work, according to an announcement made by the President of Panama at ILO’s annual conference.
A clause included in the construction tenders commits the companies involved to respect Decent Work principles for the 7,000 or so direct jobs to
be created. For more information on the extension of the Panama Canal and its pledge to ensure Decent Work, see the respective ILO
press release and
feature article.
Panama’s President also confirmed his country’s commitment to ratify ILO’s Maritime Convention adopted in 2006.
New ILO-European Commission project to combat child labour
On 10 June, ILO and the European Commission officially launched a new project designed to combat child labour. Entitled Tackle it will set out
to provide access to basic education and training in 11 ACP countries, namely Kenya, Zambia, Sudan, Madagascar, Mali, Angola, Jamaica, Papua
New Guinea, Fiji, Guyana and Sierra Leone. Europe’s contribution of 14.75 million euro will support these countries’ efforts to put an end to
dangerous forms of child labour and serious violations of children’s rights.
Tackle will also offer advice on how to draw up or enhance
policies on child labour and education in the countries concerned, with a view to improving their application.
The situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories is deteriorating
ILO’s
annual report
on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories spotlights the serious deterioration of the work and employment situation there, with just
one out of every three people of working age employed on a full or part-time basis, and the unemployment level remaining above 20%. In Gaza, the economic
blockade means that more than 80% of its population now depends on food aid to meet essential humanitarian needs. “With the devastation of military
action, and the continuing fine net of restrictions on movement, there is no doubt that economic and social hardship is mounting in the occupied Arab
territories”, the report claims, before going on to add: “Pitting the claim ‘security first, then peace’ against ‘peace as a condition for security’
leads to an impasse”.
To rise to these challenges, ILO is going to continue supporting policies on Decent Work and employment in the occupied territories. Over the
past few months, ILO has made major progress in a push to reinvigorate its technical cooperation activities and develop a new aid programme
designed to combine short-term job creation initiatives with longer-term capacity development objectives.
Click here to read a
press release on the ILO report.
World Congress on Safety and Health at Work
Some 4,000 industry leaders, policy-makers and experts from over 100 countries are to gather in Seoul in the Republic of Korea, from 29
June to 2 July for the XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work. The Congress, which is jointly organised every three years by ILO and
the International Social Security Association (ISSA), is the largest international event of its kind and addresses the current state of safety
in the world of work and global efforts to improve it. This year it will unveil new research on occupational safety and health as a key factor
in environmentally-sustainable economic growth and development. The Congress is also expected to adopt an unprecedented Declaration on Safety and
Health at Work, that should serve as a new global reference point for addressing occupational safety and health issues. For more details on this
subject, see
this ILO press release
or check out the
Congress website.
Tuvalu has become the 182nd ILO Member State
On 27 May 2009, Tuvalu became the 182nd ILO Member State following the receipt of a letter signed by its prime minister, foreign minister
and labour minister which notified ILO of the government’s official acceptance of the obligations arising from the organisation’s
Constitution. Tuvalu is an archipelago in the South Pacific with around 10,000 inhabitants. Its capital is Funafuti.
Employment opportunities
The ILO Liaison office in Brussels hires a “
Senior Finance & Administrative Assistant”
Scheduled meetings
Click here for a list of meetings scheduled by the ILO for 2008.
Contact us
For more information on the ILO's activities, please contact the :
ILO Brussels
Rue Aimé Smekens 40
B -1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 02 736 59 42
Fax: +32.02 735 48 25
E-mail: brussels@ilo.org
Website : www.ilo.org/brussels
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