All ILO Newsroom content

October 2012

1. 

   Gender gap

   Time for women to get on board

   31 October 2012

   The need to have more women in the world’s still male-dominated boardrooms has gained widespread recognition but there is also strong disagreement on how to go about it.

December 2011

1. 

   Video

   Video: Productive Employment, Sustainable Enterprises and Skills Development in Asia and the Pacific

   04 December 2011

   Even before the current series of economic and jobs crises the quality of jobs being generated was a cause for concern. Unless this issue is addressed it will not be possible to rebalance growth in the region effectively. Non-standard and informal employment, offering low pay and poor working conditions, have grown steadily and are contributing to growing inequalities in incomes. Closer attention is needed to reducing poverty, creating productive employment and social and economic mobility, with particular attention given to the needs of young people. The formal economy can be expanded in low and middle income economies in the region, and an enabling environment with support for sustainable enterprises is possible. Increasing investment in human resources and improving working conditions with and through engagement of the social partners can play an important role in this process.

June 2010

1. 

   Article

   A policy framework for better managing business and human rights challenges

   07 June 2010

   One of the main goals of the UN Framework "Protect, Respect and Remedy" is to identify and clarify standards of corporate responsibility and accountability for business enterprises with regard to human rights. Professor John Ruggie, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on business and human rights, shared insights on the current phase and further steps towards operationalizing and promoting this framework with participants of the 99th ILC. ILO Online spoke with Mr. Ruggie about design and development of the UN Policy Framework and its relationship to ILO’s work.

2. 

   Video

   Professor John Ruggie Presents Business and Human Rights Framework

   03 June 2010

   Professor John Ruggie, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General gives a presentation on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises. His “protect, respect and remedy” framework lays the foundations of a system for better managing business and human rights challenges based on distinct yet complementary responsibilities for States and corporations and effective remedy in case of abuse. At the invitation of the Multinational Enterprises Subcommittee of the Governing Body, Professor Ruggie shares insights on further steps towards putting into operation and promoting the framework, and implications for the ILO.

3. 

   Video

   An Interview with Professor John Ruggie on Managing Business and Human Rights Challenges

   03 June 2010

December 2009

1. 

   Video

   With the Global Jobs Pact, South African Trade Unions Place Emphasis on Re-training of Workers

   01 December 2009

   "We have taken the Global Jobs Pact into our South African framework response to the economic crisis and we have been working on issues to address the distressed sectors, putting an emphasis on re-training and re-skilling of workers," said Bheki Ntshalintshali, Deputy General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, in an interview with ILO TV.

2. 

   Video

   Emphasis on Sustainable Enterprises Important Element of Global Jobs Pact for South Africa

   01 December 2009

   "We got a much bigger emphasis with the Global Jobs Pact for the fact that for you to create jobs and a greener economy you need to first create sustainable enterprises, because by having sustainable enterprises you can have sustainable jobs," said Mthunzi Mdwaba, CEO of Torque IT in an interview with ILO TV. "It's something that we've taken very seriously in South Africa."

October 2009

1. 

   Influenza A pandemic

   Business continuity planning: how the ILO prepares enterprises for a major Influenza A pandemic

   29 October 2009

   The ILO held a workshop on “Business continuity planning for Pandemics” with the participation of workers’ and employers’ representatives from key sectors, as well as representatives from related UN agencies. The meeting aimed to promote preparedness among diverse economic sectors for the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) and its potential impact on businesses worldwide. ILO Online spoke with Alfredo Lazarte-Hoyle, director of the ILO Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction.

June 2007

1. 

   Article

   Promoting sustainable enterprises: safe work is also good business

   21 June 2007

   “Sustainable enterprises cannot afford to have injuries and diseases at work, which would not only interrupt operations but may have strong economic and reputational consequences”. Eleven enterprises from the Leningrad region in Russia’s North-West had a chance to check this statement from an ILO report to the International Labour Conference against daily practice. Olga Bogdanova reports from North-West Russia.

June 2006

1. 

   Article

   95th session of the International Labour Conference, 2006
   Start your business, tailor your life

   14 June 2006

   According to the ILO Director-General Juan Somavia's report to the Conference, global unemployment increased by 21.9 per cent between 1995 and 2005. Among the main factors contributing to this rise, the report cites, is the deterioration of the employment situation in Eastern European and Central Asian transition countries.