COVID-19 and the world of work

United Nations response

  1. © ILO 2023
    Report examines ILO’s response to COVID-19 crisis

    06 April 2023

    A look back at how the ILO responded to the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and found new ways to support governments, workers' and employers' organizations.

  2. © ILO 2023
    The current state of the global labour market: Implications for achieving the Global Goals

    13 March 2023

    The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. But with the COVID-19 pandemic upending the global labour market in recent years, progress towards achieving these goals has been disrupted. From rising unemployment and informal work to slowing productivity growth and persistent gender inequalities, the pandemic has highlighted the need for urgent action to build a more resilient and equitable world of work.

  3. © Eskinder Debebe / UN 2023
    Interactive dialogue with senior officials of the UN Systems

    By inviting the UN Regional Commissions and relevant UN organizations, the main objective of the interactive dialogue is to link the work of the Commission’s for Social Development with regional and national actions for enhanced coordination and strengthened policy coherence to promote the creation of full and productive employment and decent work for all, and assist Member States to overcome inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

  4. © Harandane Dicko / UN Photo 2023
    High-level panel discussion on creating full and productive employment and decent work for all

    Taking place during the 61st session of the Commission for Social Development, the high-level panel discussion will seek to identify effective policies to create full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

  5. © poco_bw 2023
    Amid crisis there is reason to hope – if we come together to pursue social justice

    01 February 2023

    In a blog for the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ILO Director-General calls for more international cooperation to achieve sustainable development goals and greater social justice.

  6. Keynote speech - Building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future through social protection and decent jobs

    23 May 2022

    Text of the keynote speech delivered by Ms. Michiko Miyamoto, Director of the ILO Country office for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, at the technical session "Mechanisms for strengthening social protection and local recovery"

  7. © USAID 2023
    Incentivizing collaboration towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals

    19 May 2022

    Progress on achieving the health-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals is lagging, and greater multilateral collaboration, as spelt out in the SDG3 Global Action Plan, is needed, according to a new report.

  8. Far-reaching action needed to end child labour

    16 May 2022

    Delegates at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour unite in calling for more to be done to end child labour

  9. Gender equality through improved labour standards compliance in the Philippines

    04 April 2022

    A dialogue on gender equality and labour standards highlighted the need to strengthen efforts to promote rights at work and improve working conditions for women through social dialogue to ensure compliance with general labour standards, including occupational safety and health, and access to social protection and other existing programmes and services.

  10. © globalgoals.org 2023
    COVID-19 and the Sustainable Development Goals: Reversing progress towards decent work for all

    21 March 2022

    The pandemic wreaked havoc on people’s lives and societies, but how far did it set the global community back in reaching the SDG targets related to decent work and economic growth?

  11. © IFA teched 2023
    Efforts to limit the effects of Omicron on seafarers must be scaled up, UN agencies say

    28 February 2022

    Access to vaccines, COVID tests, health documents and personal protective equipment (PPE) must be improved, say ILO, IMO, UNCTAD and WHO.

  12. Joint statement urging continued collaboration to address the crew change crisis, safeguard seafarer health and safety, and avoid supply chain disruptions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

    28 February 2022

  13. ILO-WHO step up collaboration to address health emergencies and promote healthier and safer working populations

    23 February 2022

    In a joint communiqué WHO and ILO acknowledge the need for and commit to strengthen the cooperation between the health sector and the institutions of the world of work to address more effectively the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, protect all workers from occupational injuries and diseases, and prepare workplaces for future public health emergencies.

  14. ILO and UNDP partner to accelerate job creation and social protection and to foster pathways to formality

    23 February 2022

    Decent work creation, universal and adequate social protection and advancing formalization feature prominently in the Global Call to Action for a Human-centred Recovery. In a joint statement UNDP and ILO commit to collaborate to develop a common roadmap for the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection, including with other UN entities, and launch and implement the joint Global Initiative on Fostering Pathways to Formality.

  15. © andresr 2023
    Global Forum for a Human-centred Recovery

    Organized by the ILO from 22-24 February, the Global Forum for a Human-centred Recovery brought together online heads of State and Government, heads of international organizations and multilateral development banks, and employers’ and workers’ leaders from around the world to propose concrete actions and strengthen the international community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

  16. ILO, ECOP partner for responsible labour practices in rural sectors

    15 February 2022

    The ILO and ECOP bring together businesses in rural sectors of agriculture, fishing and mining to promote compliance on labour standards, occupational safety and health (OSH) and gender equality.

  17. 12th Academy on Social and Solidarity Economy - Plenary Session 6: Localizing Sustainable Development Goals: SSE as trigger of Local Economic Development

    12 January 2022

  18. Why inequality is in the spotlight at the International Labour Conference

    23 November 2021

    Inequality is on the agenda of the second segment of the 109th International Labour Conference. It’s an issue that’s been at the heart of the ILO mandate since it was founded. So why is it being examined now? How can the world of work help reduce inequalities? And what’s the aim of the discussion?

  19. © G20 2023
    ILO welcomes G20 endorsement of human-centred approach to COVID-19 recovery

    31 October 2021

    Include needs of working people and labour markets in pandemic recovery plans, ILO Director-General tells G20 leaders.

  20. ILO calls for global solidarity to build peaceful and sustainable future

    22 October 2021

    The world is faced by its biggest crises since the United Nations was established in 1945. A global pandemic and a climate emergency. It is humanity’s common agenda to address both and secure a resilient recovery for people and planet. Ahead of COP26, the ILO calls on all countries to work together for a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable future.