Features

2011

Article

Questions and answers: ILO disability inclusion resource manual

01 December 2011

December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. To mark the date, the ILO has developed an online version of the ILO Disability Inclusion Toolkit and Manual – a collection of tools and information resources – to assist ILO staff in including disabled people in their areas of work. “Disability inclusion is everybody’s work!” ILO interviews Debra Perry, Senior Disability Technical Specialist and editor of the resource manual.
Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers on 10 Years of the ILO Programme on HIV and AIDS and the World of Work

01 December 2011

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the ILO’s Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work (ILO/AIDS). On World AIDS Day 2011, ILO Online spoke to the new Director of the ILO/AIDS programme, Mrs. Alice Ouedraogo about progress made in the last 10 years and her hopes for the future.
Questions and answers

An interview with Jayati Ghosh, winner of the ILO Decent Work Research Prize

11 November 2011

Decent Work Research Prize laureates Professor Jayati Ghosh and Professor Eve C. Landau addressed the ILO Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 11 November, calling for economic policy reforms based on decent work to meet current challenges in global labour markets. The Indian economist Jayati Ghosh was also among the thousands of people at the annual International Labour Conference in Geneva. World of Work spoke to Ms. Ghosh, who is a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and the Executive Secretary of the International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs.).
Article

Skills for Green Jobs: selected stories from the field

08 November 2011

There are many stories from the field about how countries have dealt with the challenge of developing skills for green jobs. Here is a sampling of some of these stories, providing a representative overview of the types of projects and initiatives underway around the world today. More of these stories can be found in the new study entitled Skills for Green Jobs: A Global View.
Feature story

Empowering South Africans with decent work

07 October 2011

While African economies have bounced back from the economic crisis, daunting challenges for the continent remain, including poverty, unemployment and underemployment. Faced with these and other major challenges, the Republic of South Africa is one of the 27 African ILO Member States that are implementing Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) aimed at promoting decent work as a key component of their national development. ILO Online reports from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Feature story

Greying of the workforce in retail commerce: Questions and answers

20 September 2011

According to a recent ILO study, 2 billion people will be aged 60 or over by 2050. While most discussions about population ageing turn around the sustainability of pension systems, a forthcoming ILO meeting to be held in Geneva on 21-22 September, will focus on the impact of the greying of societies on labour supply in the retail commerce sector, an industry that has traditionally drawn a large proportion of its workers from people aged 30 and under. ILO Online spoke with John Sendanyoye, the ILO’s Commerce Sector Specialist.
Article

The banana agribusiness in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica: rich ground to create green jobs

16 September 2011

The ILO, through the Joint Program for strengthening the Banana value chain by Growing Inclusive Markets, invited a delegation of fifteen technicians and producers of bananas from the Dominican Republic to visit Costa Rica to learn about the experience of this country's banana sector in plastic recycling as well as environmental and labor practices.
Article

South Africa and the ILO team up to promote public employment and community work programmes

27 July 2011

With an official unemployment rate of 25 per cent, the South African government knows that employment creation cannot be left to the private sector alone. There is a huge gap between the jobs that are needed and the jobs that the market can generate. The State has the responsibility to fill that gap. Today South Africa has become a prime example of a country where public employment programmes (PEPs) and its Community Work Programme (CWP) are playing a key role in providing a minimum level of employment where markets are failing to do so. The CWP, although not universal in coverage, is being designed to test an employment guarantee.
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.
Article

Questions and answers on Growth, Productive Employment and Decent Work in the LDCs

06 May 2011

In preparation for the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV), the International Labour Organization (ILO) has produced a report “Growth, Productive Employment and Decent Work in the LDCs,” which argues for transformative policies for decent work in LDCs. UN-NGLS (United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service) interviews José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Director for Employment, ILO, on the key insights and recommendations of the report.