GENEVA (ILO News) - The 276 th Session of the ILO Governing Body, which gets underway in Committee sessions on Monday, will review ILO activities during the last six months and examine policy options in a number of areas, including implementation of ILO's strategic budget and proposed revisions to personnel policies as the Organization charts its course into the new millennium.
The ILO is in a process of restructuring designed to emphasize four strategic priorities - promoting and realizing fundamental principles and rights at work, creating greater opportunities for men and women to secure decent employment and income, enhancing social protection and promoting social dialogue and tripartism. The funding requirements and allocations for meeting those goals will be examined by the Budget and Finance Committee, which has already approved an overall ILO budget of US$ 467,470,000 for the biennium 2000-2001.
An internal reorganisation has redefined the activities of some departments and created eight InFocus Programmes to implement the strategic budget priorities. The new InFocus programmes cover safety at work, the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises, promotion of the ILO's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work , skills and knowledge, socio-economic security, dealing with crisis situations and strengthening social dialogue.
Regarding ILO staffing requirements, the Governing Body's Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee will consider proposals to overhaul the current career development and recruitment procedures for the Organization which are described as "both outdated and inappropriate to the effective delivery of the mission and strategy of the ILO."
Among the goals of the proposed policy initiative are the development of career plans for all officials, active recruitment of new officials to increase the talent stock of the Organization, more effective structures for staff communication and involvement in decisions affecting work practices and measures to promote appropriate diversity of human resources, notably with respect to gender and national representation.
The question of Myanmar will also be discussed following a decision by delegates to the 87 th International Labour Conference to adopt an unprecedented Resolution citing the country for consistent violations of the Forced Labour Convention and failure to respond to repeated rulings by supervisory bodies to put an end to forced labour, a practice which an ILO Commission of Inquiry found to be widespread in Myanmar.
The Resolution resolved that "the Government of Myanmar should cease to benefit from any technical cooperation or assistance from the ILO, except for the purpose of direct assistance to implement immediately the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry."
The Governing Body will now consider placing on the agenda of the 88 th Session of the International Labour Conference in June 2000 an item entitled: "Action recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the Constitution - Implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma)."
Article 33 of the ILO Constitution states that "in the event of any Member failing to carry out within the time specified the recommendations, if any, contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry ... the Governing Body may recommend to the Conference such action as it may deem wise and expedient to secure compliance therewith."
The Governing Body will also debate proposals for the agenda of the 90 th Session of the International Labour Conference in 2002. The ILO's Working Party on the Social Dimensions of the Liberalization of International Trade will be called upon to review its activities and will consider the best way to examine issues concerning labour and the world economy in the future.
The various Committees of the Governing Body will examine such issues as freedom of association, ILO policy and activities with respect to economic and financial crises and the role of the ILO in technical cooperation.
The Governing Body, composed of 28 government members * , 14 employer members and 14 worker members, convenes three times annually. It is the executive arm of the ILO and takes decisions on the implementation of ILO policies and programmes. Ten of the government seats are permanently held by States of chief industrial importance. The remaining members are elected for three years by governments, workers and employers respectively, taking account of regional distribution.
Concluding its 274 th Session in March 1999, the ILO Governing Body had settled a number of outstanding technical questions related to the follow-up of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1998. Requests for information for this annual report were sent in March 1999, with the beginning of November 1999 as the deadline for replies. A first review will be conducted by the Governing Body at its session in March 2000.
* Algeria, Brazil*, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad,
China*, Croatia, Ethiopia, France*, Germany*, Ghana, Guatemala,
India*, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy*, Japan*, Republic of
Korea, Malaysia, Namibia, Peru, Russian Federation*, Saudi
Arabia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United
Kingdom*, United States*, Venezuela.
(*=members holding non-elective seats as States of chief
industrial importance).
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