All ILO Newsroom content

December 2012

1. 

   Worker’s rights

   Migrant workers in Jordan are making their voices heard

   12 December 2012

   As the world marks International Migrants Day on December 18, ILO News looks at the impact of legislation allowing migrant workers in Jordan to join trade unions.

November 2012

1. 

   Refugees

   Palestinians in Lebanon working under precarious conditions

   20 November 2012

   Restrictions in Lebanon do not exclude Palestinian refugees from the labour market but lead to exploitative conditions, a new ILO-EU study says.

September 2012

1. 

   News

   Youth suicide underlines ILO call for action on jobs in the occupied Palestinian territory

   05 September 2012

   The recent suicide of a young jobseeker in Gaza City has highlighted the serious concerns raised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) about the precarious situation of workers in Gaza and the West Bank.

August 2012

1. 

   Article

   Time for Arabs to live up to their call for social justice by protecting vulnerable workers

   15 August 2012

   Which Arab country will be the first to ratify the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers?

October 2011

1. Article

   Stories of decent work in Asia and the Pacific

   18 October 2011

July 2011

1. 

   Article

   Questions and answers on the ILO response to challenges in the Arab World

   08 July 2011

   On 8 July 2011, the International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted a meeting on “The Arab World, Towards a New Era of Social Justice”, which brought together representatives of countries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the international community, donors and ILO constituents. A background paper entitled “Challenges in the Arab world: an ILO response” on the ILO’s strategy and response was the basis for the discussions. It provides figures and trends on the employment situation and answers a series of questions around creating decent work opportunities in the region. A series of concept notes was also presented, covering areas where the MENA countries have requested ILO assistance. ILO is developing work in the MENA countries and seeks additional funding for some of these programmes.

April 2011

1. Article

   Youth unemployment in the Arab world is a major cause for rebellion

   05 April 2011

   While images from protests in the Arab region go around the world, it is timely to look at the reasons that brought these mostly young people on to the streets. An extremely high youth unemployment rate of 23.4 per cent in 2010, is one major but not the only cause for these popular uprisings, says Dorothea Schmidt, senior employment expert in the ILO office in Cairo.

March 2011

1. 

   Video

   Tunisian Trade Unions Working For Peace and Democracy (in Arabic)

   21 March 2011

   Mr. Abdessalem Jerad, General Secretary of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) spoke to the ILO Governing Body in a high-level discussion on Challenges and Change in the Arab World. Mr. Jerad thanked the Director-General for his support for the Tunisian revolution and for helping to meet the people's needs for decent work, decent wages and social justice. He referred to the Director-General's statement of 19 January 2011, supporting the demands of the revolutionaries and workers of Tunisia and the workers' movement, and said it had a significant impact coming at a moment when there was no guarantee that the revolution would succeed in its efforts to overthrow the dictatorship and put an end to corruption. Other participants in the discussion included H.E. Dr. Ahmed El-Borai, Minister of Manpower and Migration of Egypt; and Mr. Habib Yousfi, President of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA).

2. 

   Video

   The Egyptian Revolution as a Model for Peaceful Change (in Arabic)

   21 March 2011

   H.E. Dr. Ahmed El-Borai, Minister of Manpower and Migration of Egypt, spoke to the ILO Governing Body in a high-level discussion on Challenges and Change in the Arab World. He thanked the ILO Director-General for his support and for coming to Egypt to join in their declaration for trade union freedom. He described the Egyptian revolution as a model for "peaceful and rational changes in the region and the whole world" and as the inception of a new development process leading to a better future based on freedom, dignity and social justice. Other participants in the debate included Mr. Habib Yousfi, President of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA); and Mr. Abdessalem Jerad, General Secretary of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT).

3. 

   Video

   The Value of Social Dialogue for Algerian Employers

   21 March 2011

   Mr. Habib Yousfi, President of the General Confederation of Algerian Enterprises (CGEA), spoke to the ILO Governing Body in a high-level discussion on Challenges and Change in the Arab World. He discussed the value of social dialogue between governments, employers and workers to “realize social peace and create a climate fostering economic development”. He also welcomed the ILO Director-General’s strategic initiatives in several countries in the region, insisting on values and rights, as “an example of political courage: You were at the right place at the right time, encouraging young people to seek a greater degree of freedom”. Other participants in the debate included H.E. Dr. Ahmed El-Borai, Minister of Manpower and Migration of Egypt; and Mr. Abdessalem Jerad, General Secretary of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). (in French)