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ILCCR: General Observation concerning Denmark, Faeroe Islands. Published: 2007Description:(ILCCR General Observation) Country:(Denmark) TERRITORY:(Faeroe Islands) Session of the Conference:96 Document:22 Display the document in: French Spanish Document No. (ilolex): 122007FRO I. Observations and Information concerning Reports on ratified Conventions (Articles 22 and 35 of the Constitution) A. Discussion of cases of serious failure by member States to respect their reporting and other standards-related obligations (a) Failure to supply reports for the past two years or more on the application of ratified Conventions A Government representative of Denmark regretted that the local authorities of the Faeroe Islands for the second consecutive year had not submitted the reports due. She indicated that the Faeroe Islands, with a view to fulfilling their reporting obligations, had asked the Danish Government to clarify the following: (1) which ILO Conventions they were bound by; and (2) whether those Conventions had been submitted to the Faeroese authorities. The Danish Government, consequently, sought clarification from the ILO, which provided a list of 22 Conventions by which it considered the Faeroe Islands to be bound. With regard to the second question, the speaker indicated that the Danish Government and the Faeroese Home Rule were in close dialogue on how to resolve the issue of reporting on Conventions that dated back some 30 to 50 years. She reminded the Conference Committee that the local authorities of the Faeroe Islands had full autonomy in the area of public welfare and labour, which meant that the Danish Government could neither instruct them in this area nor fulfil the reporting obligations on their behalf. However, the Danish Government would assist the Faeroese local authorities as best as possible so that they could fulfil their reporting obligations in the future. A Government representative of Cambodia explained that over the past few years changes had occurred in the administration in charge of labour matters, owing to the creation of a new Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. That had led to changes in the composition of the staff working in the technical departments. In that context, the Ministry had appointed a group of officials to undertake and follow up on the obligations prescribed by the ILO Constitution, in particular the Government's obligation to respond to the observations made by the Committee of Experts. As the group had recently been formed, it had been impossible to submit the reports due. He further indicated that with a view to fulfilling the unaccomplished tasks, an official had been sent to participate in the international labour standards training organized by the ILO International Training Centre in Turin. He undertook himself on behalf of his Ministry to speed up the fulfilment of all reporting obligations. A Government representative of the United Kingdom apologized on behalf of the non-metropolitan territories of Anguilla, Montserrat and St. Helena who had been unable to supply information in reply to comments made by the Committee of Experts and, in some cases, had failed to supply reports on ratified Conventions. He stated that the Government of the United Kingdom went to great lengths to endeavour to ensure that all local authorities in non-metropolitan territories met their reporting obligations in full and on time. However, they had not always been successful and he regretted the effect that this could have on the supervisory system. He assured the Conference Committee that such failure was not due to a lack of political commitment on the part of the competent authorities, but rather was a question of capacity. He hoped that the Committee would recognize that heavy reporting schedules could place a considerable strain on even the largest administrations. Non-metropolitan territories were, for the most part, small and largely autonomous island administrations with limited human and financial resources. His Government would continue to work closely and actively with the local authorities on how best to ensure that they continued raising their human rights standards as well as fulfilling their ILO reporting obligations. A Government representative of Togo indicated that the Ministry of Employment and Labour was experiencing difficulties owing to a shortage of personnel and skills. The Government had therefore requested ILO technical assistance in the form of training two officials and hoped that this would enable it to fulfil its standards-related obligations. The Committee noted the information and explanations provided by the Government representatives who took the floor. The Committee recalled that submitting reports on the application of ratified Conventions was a constitutional obligation essential to the supervisory system. The Committee stressed the importance of submitting reports, not only for their actual communication, but also of doing so within the prescribed time limits. The Committee recalled that the ILO could offer technical assistance to contribute to the fulfilment of this obligation. In those circumstances, the Committee expressed the firm hope that the Governments of Cambodia, Congo, Denmark (Faeroe Islands), Iraq, Liberia, Saint Lucia, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom (St Helena) and Uzbekistan, that had not yet submitted reports on the application of ratified Conventions, would do so as soon as possible, and decided to mention these cases in the corresponding section of the General Report. |
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