The Government of Spain has awarded the Gold Medal of Merit in Work to the International Labour Organization (ILO), in recognition of its efforts in labour issues.

The Medal of Merit in Work, which is granted by the Council of Ministers and approved by His Majesty of Spain, is an award for ‘’exemplary and socially responsive conduct in the performance of duties required in the exercise of any job, profession or service’’.

In the case of the ILO, this ‘socially responsive conduct’ has extended throughout its ninety years of existence and lives on today as strongly as it did since the inception of the organization. The ILO continues to be regarded as a global symbol for the improvement of working conditions and for its recognition of the right of human beings to material well-being and spiritual development, with liberty, dignity, economic security and equality of opportunity at the forefront of their lives, remarked Valeriano Gómez Sánchez, Spain’s Minister of Labour and Immigration, who awarded the medal at a special ceremony which took place at the ILO.

Minister Sánchez added that the ILO, under the guidance of its Director General, ‘’is working dutifully to ensure the achievement of the social dimension of (economic) globalization and to guarantee that their efforts materialize into concrete and tangible results and moreover, find resonance with people’s expectations and conscience.’’

On accepting the medal, The Director General of the ILO, Juan Somavia, offered his gratitude for the award, saying that the medal represents ‘’ a clear sign that both Spain and the ILO share the values and principles which are contained in the Decent Work Agenda and agree to its complete and total relevance at a time when the financial, economic and employment crisis continues to assault our member countries’’.

According to Somavia, this recognition ‘’ carries with it the enormous responsibility of continuing to respond to the ever-increasing demands and challenges from the people in our societies. Our commitment as an international organization is to fulfil their expectations with effective proposals and solutions in a way that crystallizes the ILO’s legacy for future generations as an organization that has remained loyal to the values of those responsible for its conception, while being responsive to the new challenges of this era.