All ILO Newsroom content

October 2012

1. 

   Microinsurance

   The win-win potential of microinsurance for migrants

   29 October 2012

   International migrants send home over US$ 400 billion a year, yet they and their families often lack basic social protection. That is where microinsurance can step in.

April 2012

1. 

   News item

   Microinsurance coverage expanding at breathtaking pace according to ILO and the Munich Re Foundation

   10 April 2012

   The number of people covered by microinsurance has increased by almost 6.5 times in five years, reaching nearly 500 million today according to the latest ILO/Munich Re Foundation survey.

2. 

   Video interview

   An interview with ILO's Craig Churchill on the expansion of Microinsurance coverage

   10 April 2012

   Access to microinsurance services has increased to the point where nearly 500 million low-income people have access today. ILO TV interviews Craig Churchill, Team Leader of the ILO's Microinsurance Innovation Facility and Chair of the Microinsurance Network about the "Microinsurance Compendium, Protecting the Poor", co-published by the ILO and the Munich Re Foundation. Mr. Churchill describes why microinsurance plays a key role for low-income people to help them cope with risks and large losses. He also explains the reason for its success in Asia.

3. 

   Feature

   Making public-private partnerships work for better insurance coverage

   10 April 2012

   Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has seen more than its share of both natural and man-made disasters. In a country like Haiti, microfinance not only helps to create jobs and income, but becomes a relief and survival strategy after disaster. Sarah Bel, Information Officer for the ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility, reports on how public-private partnerships play an important role to scale up quality and affordable insurance products for low-income workers.

November 2011

1. 

   Article

   Knowledge management: How microinsurance can best benefit low-income households

   01 November 2011

   In 2010, the ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility introduced a knowledge management framework, aligning its research and communication strategies and new approaches for improved capture, analysis and sharing of lessons learned from its activities. ILO Online spoke with Craig Churchill, Head of the ILO’s Microinsurance Innovation Facility about the benefits of the new approach.

February 2009

1. 

   Microfinance

   Microfinance and the real economy: impacts and outcomes of the global economic crisis

   26 February 2009

   The current economic and social crisis provides an opportunity to re-think values and business models in finance. ILO Online spoke with Bernd Balkenhol, chief of the ILO’s Social Finance Programme.

October 2008

1. 

   Microfinance press conference

   Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and ILO Director-General Juan Somavia address the press during Microfinance Forum

   02 October 2008

   The founder of Grameen Bank and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. Muhammad Yunus, joined Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office, Jean Zwahlen, Chairman of the World Microfinance Forum Geneva, and Ivan Pictet, Chairman of the Geneva Financial Centre, at a press conference at the first symposium of the World Microfinance Forum Geneva taking place this week.

2. 

   Video of speech

   ILO Director General Juan Somavia welcomes delegates to the World Microfinance Forum Geneva Symposium

   01 October 2008

   The first international symposium of the World Microfinance Forum Geneva opened here today. More than 300 world leaders in microfinance will discuss the fundamentals of microfinance and its contributions in reducing poverty and enabling sustainable economic growth. The symposium will also consider new products and technologies, emerging markets, and the role of investors in microfinance. (in English and French)

April 2008

1. 

   Video

   A Banker for Sri Lankan Women: Rupa Manel Silva

   02 April 2008

   A new report from the International Labour Organization shows that economic empowerment for women is vital for equal participation of women and men in the labour market and equal access to obtaining decent work. In Sri Lanka, Rupa Manel Silva is leading the way with a bank run by women for women.

March 2008

1. 

   Video

   Press Conference Highlights: Global Employment Trends for Women 2008

   07 March 2008

   "We've seen that over a ten year period 200 million new jobs have been created," says Dorothea Schmidt. "That's a big, big increase and that's very good news, but the problem is the type of job that was created. And we see that over half of the jobs that women have are what we call vulnerable." Dorothea Schmidt, co-author of the report "Global Employment Trends for Women 2008" and Evy Messel, Director of the ILO's Bureau for Gender Equality speak at the GET Women press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.