GENEVA (ILO News) - The International Labour Office's (ILO) Governing Body concluded its 285 th session here today following two weeks of spirited discussion over issues ranging from strengthening tripartism among its social partners, to the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, Colombia and forced labour in Myanmar.
The Governing Body also approved establishment of a pilot project to test the concept of a "Global Social Trust" which could ultimately help to provide basic social security for up to 100 million people in the least developed and low-income countries.
Regarding the appointment of the Director-General, delegates confirmed that the election should take place at its 286 th session in March 2003. The five-year-mandate of the Director-General will take effect on 4 March 2004. The current Director-General Juan Somavia of Chile was elected to his position in March 1999, and his first term will be completed by March 2004. During the discussion several speakers expressed their support for a second term for Mr. Somavia.
The Governing Body also followed up on a resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference in June designed to strengthen the tripartite structure of the 83-year-old Organization and enhance the role of its employer and worker representatives. Under the resolution on tripartism, delegates approved proposals for concrete action, including "social dialogue audits" or reviews of key ILO activities within the four ILO technical sectors, directly involving the unique expertise and specific mandates of the ILO's Social Dialogue Sector and its units. The Governing Body requested the Director-General to put in place a comprehensive cross-cutting plan of action for strengthening tripartism and social dialogue throughout the office.
Country issues
Delegates examined a report ( GB.285/4) on developments since June of this year concerning the observance by the Government of Myanmar of the ILO's Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). The report covers the activities of the ILO regarding Myanmar since this date, including the activities of an interim Liaison Officer in Myanmar, Mr. Léon de Riedmatten. The Governing Body also considered a report on the activities of the full-fledged ILO Liaison Officer, Ms. Hông-Trang Perret-Nguyen, who was appointed in August and arrived in Yangon to take up her appointment on 7 October.
The Governing Body discussed the possibility of the ILO sending a mission to Myanmar to conclude a plan of action for the elimination of forced labour in the country. The Chairman of the Governing Body concluded that such a mission could indeed take place provided for such a plan of action between the Liaison Officer and the authorities in Yangon advanced in a satisfactory manner. The sending of a mission was left to the consideration of the Director-General.
The Governing Body gave strong support for creation of a Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection which had been proposed by the Director-General in a report on the situation in the occupied Arab territories issued during the International Labour Conference in June. The ILO has called for capacity building of social partners, creation of an employment and social protection fund and the establishment of a platform for Palestinian and Israeli constituents for social dialogue. Having noted the practical approach by the ILO, the Governing Body members encouraged the Office to assist in the establishment of the Fund, and appealed to the donor community to support this Fund. They requested a progress report for the March 2003 session of the Governing Body.
The Governing Body also considered developments in Colombia and the special cooperation programme called "Project Colombia", which has been established to secure the rights of Colombian trade unionists, promote freedom of association and the right to organize in the country, and further social dialogue as a means of stopping violence. The vice-president of Colombia, H.E. Francisco Santos Calderon addressed the Governing Body saying that the new government would do everything in its power to stop violence in the country.
Global Social Trust
The Governing Body authorized the Office to initiate a project to test the idea of addressing the challenge of alleviating poverty through an internationally-financed social protection mechanism known as a Global Social Trust. With 1.3 billion people living on less than US$ 1 a day - and with the world community resolved in the Millennium Development Goals to halve that number by 2015 - the Global Social Trust concept is to raise family income in the poorest countries through the provision of basic social security. Financing would come from networks of individuals in developed countries, who would systematically make regular, voluntary donations of a few dollars a month to create basic social protection systems in developing countries and support benefit payments until those systems become self-supporting.
The core benefits would consist of basic income security benefits, education and health services. Following up on a study authorized last year by the ILO Director-General and presented this week, the Governing Body authorized the test include one donor country and one developing country together in setting up a concrete anti-poverty social protection benefit in the developing country. The pilot project would last several years and the Governing Body and the public will be informed about the progress at regular intervals. The project will be accompanied by an advisory board that will monitor the progress of the pilot and the Global Social Trust concept in general.
(The decisions of the Governing Body on the basis of the report of the Committee on Freedom of Association have been covered by a separate press release. The Governing Body reports 30 cases this time, including Belarus, Colombia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Japan. See press release ILO/02/51.)
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The Governing Body is the executive tripartite 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.