GENEVA (ILO News) - The Governing Body of the International Labour Office (ILO) will discuss a host of issues at its 292nd session beginning here today, including basic labour rights in Myanmar, the social dimension of globalization and its next budget.
The Governing Body meeting, slated for 3-24 March, will examine programme and budget proposals for the 2006-07 biennium. The ILO Director-General Juan Somavia has said the budget is designed to support the Organization's goal of decent work for all with programmes from the local to the international level.
In constant dollars, the 2006-07 budget proposes to maintain the level of spending on programmes while making a special provision for urgent institutional investment needs and extraordinary items. This results in a moderate overall growth of 4.3 per cent. The debate is to conclude with a proposed resolution for adoption of the Programme and Budget for submission to the annual International Labour Conference to be held in June.
During the 292nd session of the Governing Body, their Majesties King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain will visit the ILO to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Spain's cooperation with the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). The King will address a Session in the Governing Body Room on Tuesday 8 March at 10.30 a.m.
Myanmar
At its upcoming session, the Governing Body will also discuss a report prepared by a very High-Level Team (vHLT) appointed by the Director-General of the ILO which visited Myanmar 21-23 February. The issue will be discussed during the final week of the Governing Body meeting.
Following developments which had taken place recently in the country the mandate of the vHLT, as defined by the Governing Body at its last November session, was to evaluate the attitude of the authorities at the highest level as regards the elimination of forced labour and assess their determination to continue their cooperation with the ILO in this regard. However, the programme of the visit as presented to the Team on its arrival in Yangon did not include meetings that in the view of its Members would have enabled it to successfully complete this mandate.
After making its position clear on the occasion of the meetings it had with the Minister of Labour and the Prime Minister, the Team considered that in the absence of any indication that the programme might be revisited there would be no point at that stage to have more in-depth discussions at the technical level. It thus decided to complete its visit at that point and report to the Governing Body. Before leaving, it however pointed out to the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the door was still open for further development to take place before the Governing Body considered the matter.
It is expected that the Governing Body will consider the Team's report together with the report of the ILO and any additional information towards the end of its session and then draw any consequences that it may find appropriate.
The mission comprised Sir Ninian Stephen, former Governor General of Australia, Ms. Ruth Dreifuss, former President of the Swiss Confederation and Mr. Eui-yong Chung, former Chairman of the Governing Body of the ILO and member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
The latest report of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association is also among the agenda items of the March session of the Governing Body. The Committee will discuss cases involving alleged infringements of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining in various countries. The Governing Body will also examine efforts to strengthen tripartism and social dialogue in its own work methods and throughout the Organization, in line with a Resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 90th Session in 2002.
Globalization
The Governing Body's Working Party on the Social Dimension of Globalization will examine proposals on how the ILO can take forward ideas for strengthening the social dimension of globalization.
The Working Party is invited to give its views on the idea of a policy coherence initiative (PCI) among concerned multilateral organizations on growth, investment and employment; the steps which might be taken to explore further the proposal to hold a globalization policy forum (GPF); the value of a policy development dialogue (PDD) on combining structural adaptation to change in the global economy with security for workers and employers; and other priority areas within the ILO mandate.
The Governing Body is the executive body of the
International Labour Office (the Office is the
secretariat of the Organization). It meets three
times a year, in March, June and November and takes
decisions on ILO policy, the agenda of the
International Labour Conference and the draft
Programme and Budget of the Organization for
submission to the Conference.
It is composed of 56 titular members (28
Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers) and 66
deputy members (28 Governments, 19 Employers and 19
Workers). Ten of the titular government seats are
permanently held by States of chief industrial
importance (Brazil, China, France, Germany, India,
Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom and the United States). The other
Government members are elected by the Conference
every three years.
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