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.
During the current session, which meets until 28 March, the Governing Body will also consider a host of other issues including the establishment of an employment fund for workers in the occupied Arab territories, globalization, export-processing zones and country situations.
Additional topics for discussion are forced labour in Myanmar, workers' rights in Colombia, technical cooperation for the occupied Arab territories and the social dimension of globalization.
A special guest for the 286 th session, Mr. Trevor A. Manuel, Minister of Finance, Republic of South Africa, will address the Working Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization on 24 March. The Working Party will undertake a first discussion on "governance, social partnership and globalization" and define the contents of a report on the issue to be presented to the Governing Body in November 2003.
Election of the Director-General
On 25 March the meeting is to vote on the appointment of Director-General Juan Somavia who is to complete his current five-year term in March 2004. As of 24 February, the final date for the presentation of candidatures, the Governing Body received one candidature, that of Mr. Somavia.
Mr. Somavia, a national of Chile, became Director-General of the ILO in March 1999 and has led the organization into new social territory through the inauguration of programmes for promoting decent work, gender equality and enhancing basic economic and social security for all. During his tenure the ILO has seen a broad expansion of initiatives on key issues, including child labour, gender, employment, HIV/AIDS as well as the convening of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.
Programme and Budget
The Governing Body will examine a zero, real-growth programme and budget proposal of US$ 434,040,000 for the 2004-05 biennium. The Director-General said the budget is designed to achieve decent work through "a coherent combination of productive and remunerative employment, adequate labour and social protection, full respect for fundamental principles and rights at work and genuine social dialogue in a framework of open economies".
The 2004-2005 budget is identical in real terms to the 2002-03 budget and reflects a move to further expand and improve the ILO's technical cooperation programme. While expenditures in 2002-03 are set to reach $215 million, estimates of $226 million in 2004-05 confirm expectations of an enlarged programme of technical cooperation reversing the declining trend of several years.
The debate is to conclude with a proposed resolution for adoption of the Programme and Budget for submission to the annual International Labour Conference to be held in June.
Declaration issues
The Governing Body will also review the annual reports required under the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up on the basis of an introduction prepared by a group of Expert-Advisers. The reports provide an annual review of the situation in countries that have not ratified one or more of the ILO's core Conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced labour, child labour, and discrimination in employment and occupation.
The Governing Body will consider recommendations made by the ILO Declaration Expert-Advisers, including: the launch of an appeal to the donor community for substantial and durable extra-budgetary support for ILO technical cooperation, to meet the high demands expressed by governments and employers' and workers' organizations in countries which have not ratified all core Conventions, the need for the Office to continue to respond through contacts at the highest level to indications of emerging willingness on the part of governments that are not yet close to realizing the Declaration's principles and rights at work, and the need for international employers' and workers' organizations to reinforce their collaboration with the Declaration Programme, notably by providing their own comments and by encouraging national organizations to do the same.
The Expert-Advisers commend Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their continuing dialogue with the Office, and China for requesting technical cooperation on the issue of forced labour, through the annual review process. They call on other countries to take similar action.
Other issues
The Governing Body will examine a report on Colombia concerning widespread violence against trade unionists in the country and measures taken by the government to protect them. Regarding the situation in Myanmar, the Governing Body is to consider a report of the ILO Liaison Officer in Yangon regarding the current status of a plan of action for eliminating forced labour.
The Governing Body will also discuss the progress of the enhanced programme of technical cooperation for the occupied Arab territories, and consider the organization of a donor meeting for a Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection as proposed by the Director-General and endorsed by the Arab Labour Conference held in Tunis from 24 February to 3 March.
As an important feature of globalization, export processing zones (EPZs) have been monitored by the ILO for over 20 years. The Governing Body Committee on Employment and Social Policy Committee will look at employment and social policy in EPZs, including free trade zones, special economic zones, bonded warehouses, free ports and maquiladoras.
A committee report shows that both the number of EPZs (79 EPZs in 1975; 3000 EPZs in 2002) and the number of countries hosting them (25 countries with EPZs in 1975; 116 countries in 2002) have expanded rapidly. While China alone had 30 million employed in more than 2,000 of these and assimilated zones, total employment in other countries' zones was calculated at 4.5 million in 1997, a figure which has risen to at least 13 million by the end of 2002.
The Subcommittee on Multinational Enterprises will examine a plan of action to promote the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy for 2003-2005.
The Governing Body is the executive body of the International Labour Office (the Office is the secretariat of the Organization). It meets three times a year, in March, June and November. It takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft Programme and Budget of the Organization for submission to the Conference, and elects the Director-General.
It is composed of 56 titular members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66 deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19 Workers). Ten of the titular government seats are permanently held by States of chief industrial importance (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States). The other Government members are elected by the Conference every three years.