GENEVA (ILO News) - The 93rd Session of the International Labour Conference, which will run here till 16 June, opened today, electing as its President Mr. Basim Khalil Alsalim, Minister of Labour of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The Conference elected as Vice-Presidents Mr. Andrew J. Finlay (Employers), Mrs. Hilda Anderson (Workers) and Mr. Galo Chiriboga Zambrano (Governments). Mr. Chiriboga Zambrano is the Minister of Labour and Employment of Ecuador, Mr. Finlay is the employers' delegate from Canada, and Mrs. Anderson is the workers' delegate from Mexico.
Delegates to the International Labour Conference are to consider a wide range of issues. These include efforts to end the global scourge of forced labour, trends in working hours, occupational safety and health, decent work for young people, the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, Myanmar and other countries, and working conditions in the world's fishing sector. The Conference will also take up the programme and budget proposals of the ILO for the 2006-07 biennium.
The annual gathering draws some 4,000 delegates, including heads of State, labour ministers and leaders of workers' and employers' organizations from most of the ILO's 178 member States. Each member country has the right to send four delegates to the Conference: two from government and one each representing workers and employers, each of whom may speak and vote independently.
The role of the International Labour Conference is to adopt and oversee compliance with international labour standards, establish the budget of the Organization and elect members of the Governing Body. Since 1919, the Conference has served as a major international forum for debate on social and labour questions of worldwide importance.