Statements and speeches

March 2009

1. Statement

   Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of International Women’s Day

   06 March 2009

   Today we celebrate the enormous—and often unacknowledged—contributions of women around the world to their families, communities and societies. This year, the focus of the United Nations is financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women. At the ILO, we are marking the day by highlighting the importance of “Investing in Decent Work for women: Not just right, but smart.”

2. Statement

   Address by Juan Somavia for International Women’s Day

   05 March 2009

   Address by Juan Somavia for International Women’s Day

February 2009

1. World Day of Social Justice

   Message by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, for the World Day of Social Justice

   20 February 2009

   Work is a principal determinant of how people experience the present and their prospects for the future. It is a keystone of social justice. Ninety years ago, the ILO’s Constitution affirmed: “universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice”. On this foundation, the ILO has brought its work-centred mission to the cause of social justice.

2. Statement

   Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of World Day of Social Justice

   20 February 2009

   Today we mark the first World Day of Social Justice, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in November 2007.

3. International coordination

   Joint statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of five international organizations, including the OECD, ILO, IMF, WTO and the World Bank

   06 February 2009

   The role of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda in responding to the global economic downturn has received strong support at a meeting of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of five international organizations, including the OECD, ILO, IMF, WTO and the World Bank in Berlin. A statement issued following the meeting supported “The ILO's ‘Decent Work Agenda’ based on employment and enterprise development, social protection, humane working con-ditions, sound labour relations and rights at work” as key to international efforts in support of a "stronger, cleaner and fairer economy.”

December 2008

1. Statement

   Social Consequences and Responses to the Financial and Economic Crisis: Discussion paper by Juan Somavia to the United Nations system Chief Executives Board

   18 December 2008

2. Statement

   Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of International Migrants Day

   18 December 2008

   Of the 200 million international migrants, 50 per cent are women and men migrant workers who have left their homes and communities to find work and better opportunities elsewhere in the world to support their families and communities.

3. Migrant workers

   Message by Juan Somavia on International Migrants Day

   17 December 2008

   Of the 200 million international migrants, 50 per cent are women and men migrant workers who have left their homes and communities to find work and better opportunities elsewhere in the world to support their families and communities. They make huge but often unrecognized contributions to growth and development of both their host countries and home communities. While the full impact of the crisis on migrant workers is yet to unfold, there are reports of direct layoffs, worsening working conditions including wage cuts, increasing returns, and reductions in immigrant intakes.

4. 

   Statement of ILO Director-General Juan Somavia

   After the Meltdown: Advancing Living Standards around the Globe in the Wake of the Financial Crisis

   12 December 2008

   Failing financial institutions, frozen credit, volatile stock markets, mounting job losses, and painful cuts in wages are impacting the lives of struggling citizens worldwide. Speaking at the Centre for American Progress, in Washington D.C. (USA), Juan Somavia underlined how the decent work agenda can become a unifying factor in building a coordinated approach to the crisis. "We need a global strategy that can help hundreds of millions of families living in poverty here and around the world to move up new ladders of opportunity. The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda can be a foundation for a global new deal."

5. Statement

   Statement by Juan Somavia on the occasion of International Human Rights Day - 10 December

   10 December 2008

   Continuing massive poverty, and growing social inequalities and unemployment call for reinvigorated action, particularly in light of the economic crisis. Indeed, the current turmoil requires us to focus all the more on ensuring respect for human rights. Women and men working in the informal economy are deprived of decent work and sustainable livelihoods, and vulnerable social groups, including migrant workers and indigenous and tribal peoples continue to face discrimination and exclusion. It is only through joining forces that we can effectively respond to the Universal Declaration’s call for a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms it proclaims can be realized.