Articles

August 2010

1. 

   Small premiums, long-term benefits: Why poor women need microinsurance

   01 August 2010

   Microinsurance coverage is an important safety net for households in developing countries, providing a tool to protect productive assets. For poor women, however, coverage can be even more critical.

2. 

   Paving a way out of poverty for people with intellectual disabilities

   01 August 2010

   Millions of people with intellectual disabilities and their families are inordinately affected by poverty and social and economic exclusion. In March 2010, the ILO–Irish Aid Partnership Programme gathered representatives from several East African countries, Australia and the United Kingdom at a three-day conference in Lusaka, Zambia to explore opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to train and work alongside non-disabled workers in their communities, thereby paving a way out of poverty.

3. 

   International Labour Conference: ILO urges strong action on jobs

   01 August 2010

   The annual Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) concluded its 2010 session with a strong call for placing employment and social protection at the centre of recovery policies. Meeting in the run-up to the G20 Leaders summit in Toronto, representatives of the “real economy” – government, employer and worker delegates from the ILO’s 183 member States – expressed broad concern that the global economic recovery remained “fragile and unevenly distributed, and many labour markets are yet to see jobs recovery match economic recovery”.

4. 

   From shipyard to renewable energy centre: Tomorrow’s jobs will be green

   01 August 2010

   The following article shows that – with resources and imagination – ways can be found to meet the twin challenges currently facing the world: the need to move towards an economy based on a much lower carbon footprint whilst at the same time bringing the world out of its present recession and finding employment. Andrew Bibby, a British journalist, reports from Odense, Denmark.

5. 

   The global challenge of child labour: Going for the goal

   01 August 2010

   The global campaign against child labour – especially in its worst forms – is at a crossroads. From an optimistic projection just four years ago that the end of the worst forms of child labour was in sight, the most recent ILO report casts doubt on whether that goal can be reached by the target year of 2016. It calls for urgent steps to accelerate action against child labour. The key messages of the report were delivered at a Global Conference on Child Labour hosted by the Government of the Netherlands on 10–11 May in The Hague. The Conference adopted a new “roadmap” aimed at achieving the goals set in 2006. IPEC Director Constance Thomas examines achievements made and challenges that remain in the fight against child labour.

July 2010

1. 

   Youth employment in crisis: Questions and answers on the situation of youth on the labour market

   14 July 2010

   Young people have been disproportionately affected by the global crisis that broke out in the autumn of 2008. This trend has exacerbated earlier challenges and there is concern that unless action is taken, the situation of youth will become unsustainable, putting social cohesion at threat. Interview with Raymond Torres, Director of the International Institute for Labour Studies and Steven Tobin, ILO economist, co-authors of a new report entitled "Youth employment in crisis".

2. 

   Cooperatives and the crisis: “Our customers are also our owners”

   02 July 2010

   Cooperatives have been more resilient to the deepening global economic and jobs crisis than other sectors. Report from Sweden.

June 2010

1. 

   Paid sick leave pays off in times of crisis

   24 June 2010

   Paid sick leave plays a crucial role especially in times of crises where many workers fear dismissal and discrimination when reporting sick. A new ILO study shows that paid sick leave is not only affordable but pays off in terms of health and economic gains for employers, workers and the economy at large. ILO Online spoke with Xenia Scheil-Adlung, co-author of the study and ILO Health Policy Coordinator.

2. 

   Questions and answers about maternity at work

   23 June 2010

   Maternity protection has been a primary concern of the ILO since its creation, in 1919, when the first International Labour Conference adopted the first Maternity Protection Convention No. 3. A new publication on the state of maternity protection in the world has just been released by the ILO. Interview with Manuela Tomei, Director of the ILO Conditions of Work and Employment Programme, about achievements made and persisting challenges for maternity protection, including the impact of the current economic and employment crises.

3. 

   Learn about it at work: an HIV poster campaign in Russia

   16 June 2010

   The proposed new standard on HIV/AIDS that is under discussion at the International Labour Conference is not only the first international human rights instrument to focus explicitly on HIV/AIDS. It also contains provisions on prevention programmes and anti-discrimination measures at national and workplace levels aimed at strengthening the contribution of the world of work to HIV prevention, treatment care and support. This story demonstrates how a participatory approach and involvement of social partners allowed to create an effective HIV poster campaign in Russia.