News

October 2009

1. 

   Informal employment curbs trade benefits for developing countries

   12 October 2009

   A joint study from the International Labour Organization and the WTO has found that high incidence of informal employment in the developing world suppresses countries' ability to benefit from trade opening by creating poverty traps for workers in job transition. “The study confirms what we know from experience, that by promoting complementarity between decent work objectives and trade, financial and labour market policies, developing countries are much better placed to benefit from trade opening, advance the social dimension of globalization, and to cope with the current crisis” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.

2. 

   ILO welcomes US funding to tackle child labour worldwide

   08 October 2009

   The International Labour Organization’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC) has welcomed the award of the US Department of Labour of $59 million in new grants to combat child labour in 19 countries around the world. A large part of these funds are to support ILO-IPEC country projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where despite the significant progress in the past years in combating child labour, millions of children are still forced to work at the expense of their health, education and future.

3. 

   International buyers get behind the Haitian garment industry

   07 October 2009

   Better Work, the unique partnership programme of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), organized the first-ever international buyers forum in Haiti recently as part of a new project that is expected to create jobs and promote sustainable development and responsible labour practices in the country’s apparel industry.

September 2009

1. 

   G20 Commit to Putting Quality Jobs at the Heart of the Recovery

   25 September 2009

   Leaders of the G20 have welcomed the ILO Global Jobs Pact and the building of “an employment-oriented framework for future economic growth”. ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, who was invited to present a report on policies and prospects for jobs and social protection to the Pittsburgh Summit said, “I welcome the significant commitment of the Leaders to “implementing recovery plans that support decent work, help preserve employment and prioritize job growth.”

2. 

   Despite continued rise in unemployment, measures taken by G20 governments will save up to 11 million jobs in 2009

   18 September 2009

   Employment and social protection measures taken by G20 governments since the economic crisis began will have created or saved an estimated 7 to 11 million jobs in the G20 countries this year, the Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO) said in a communication at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

3. 

   Green jobs initiative: MOU signed between BMET and Grameen Shakti

   16 September 2009

   In support of the government’s current efforts for expansion of renewable and clean energy, the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and Grameen Shakti signed a Memorandum of Understanding for training of solar technicians on 16 September 2009.

4. 

   ILO Launches Fourth Call for Proposals to Promote Cooperatives in Africa

   14 September 2009

   The International Labour Organization announced the launch, on 14 September 2009, of a fourth call for proposals to promote social economy organizations based on cooperative values and principles through the Cooperative Facility for Africa (CoopAFRICA) programme.

August 2009

1. ILO says significant steps undertaken for the development of a new international human rights instrument on HIV/AIDS

   12 August 2009

   The first draft text of an international labour standard in the form of a Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work has been released by the ILO. Based on the discussions held at the International Labour Conference in Geneva this June, the draft text of the human rights instrument has been sent to member States for tripartite consultations.

July 2009

1. 

   ILO welcomes new support for the Global Jobs Pact from the UN Economic and Social Council

   27 July 2009

   The International Labour Office welcomed the adoption of a resolution on the ILO’s Global Jobs Pact sponsored by more than 170 countries attending the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting in Geneva.

2. ILO and Germany sign an agreement on the elimination of underage recruitment in Myanmar

   23 July 2009

   The agreement signed by Germany and the International Labour Organization is part of a project in line with the ILO’s Forced Labour Convention No. 29.