90 years working for social justice

In 2009 the ILO celebrates its 90th Anniversary, against a backdrop of financial crisis and critical levels of unemployment around the world. Looking to the future means understanding the past, and as such the ILO’s 90th anniversary celebrations world wide focus on the theme of "90 years working for social justice" with a strong forward looking element, asking how the ILO's experience working through crisis can add a unique voice to the present day response to economic crisis.

Highlights

• 26-28 April 2009, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
  Prime Minster Guillaume Kigbafori Soro opens tripartite event, Promoting Decent Work for post-crisis Reconstruction, on occasion of ILO 90th Anniversary
  The government reaffirmed its gratitude to the workers and employers for having accepted to accompany the government on the path out of crisis. There was also a tripartite roundtable including the media, focussing on the 2008 ILO Declaration on Social Justice and follow-up to the Ouagadougou Summit on Employment. Numerous participants, including members of government, UN system, and NGOs enjoyed exhibition stands featuring ILO publications and socio-cultural events.
• April 2009, Antigua, Guatemala
  Bipartite Declaration between trade unions and employers organizations on occasion of the 90th Anniversary
  Twenty employers and workers organisations from 8 countries--the 7 of Central America, and the Dominican Republic-- established ten priorities for the Crisis in a Subregional Meeting on the Employment Crisis and Social Dialogue. On the occasion of the ILO's 90th anniversary, they approved and signed a Bipartite Declaration (Declaración en el marco del 90 Aniversario de la OIT) which reaffirmed tripartism and social dialogue as the appropriate tool to find coherent solutions to the Crisis. The unions and employers also proposed a new Subregional Tripartite Advisory Committee for Social Dialogue.
• 4 February, New Delhi, India
  "Nine Decades of ILO - Retrospect and the Way Forward" tripartite thematic panel concludes day-long 90th Anniversary celebration including a message from President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Labour Ministers from eight state (provinces) governments, Heads of UN agencies, donors, academia and civil society organizations.
• 28 April 2009, Kuwait City, Kuwait
  A seminar was organized in Kuwait in collaboration with ILO constituents (MOSAL, KTUF & KCCI) and other civil society organizations with the participation of the UN country team on the subject of the ILO and its role in bringing about the Declaration on Social Justice.
• 6 May 2009, London, The United Kingdom
  UK tripartite event highlighted continuing relevance of ILO upon its 90th anniversary and calls knowledge base and research its "crown jewels"
  The tripartite celebration of the ILO's 90th Anniversary also included NGO and academic representatives. Minister Jonathon Shaw congratulated the ILO on the speed and vigour of its response to the current Crisis. This sentiment was echoed by Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC and John Cridland, Deputy Director of the CBI, who also referred to the ILO's knowledge base and research as its "crown jewels". Mr. Barber concluded that the ILO had never been more needed than at this time of Crisis. A Panel of Experts also spoke to the ILO's 'thought leadership' and the need to integrate ILO policies into Poverty Reduction Strategies.

• Featured

  • 19-20 November 2009, Auckland, New Zealand
    Cooperating out of Poverty (Coop Africa)
    New book launched for ILO's 90th uses case studies to take stock of African cooperative movement in fighting poverty