Lectures

The background

The ILO's contribution to peace through the promotion of social justice was internationally recognized by the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. In 1991, the Governing Body of the ILO approved the use of the interest accruing to the Prize to endow a visiting lectureship on international social policy in memory of David A. Morse, the first post-war Director-General of the ILO.

The Social Policy Lectures

The Lectures are held every second year in a major university of the world with the three-fold aim of stimulating the interest of graduate and post-graduate students in international social policy; promoting academic work in areas of concern to the ILO in major universities; and encouraging greater dialogue between the academic community on the one hand and policy-makers, business and labour on the other.

The choice of venue is based on the academic standing of the university; on its interest in the subject in question; and on the desirability of regional rotation.

Lecturers could be distinguished academics, policy-makers, public figures, authors, journalists, business (wo)men or trade unionists. They are chosen from a country other than that in which the university is situated, thereby bringing an international dimension to the lectures. The choice of theme and speaker(s) is a matter for discussion between the university and the International Institute for Labour Studies of the ILO.

The majority of the lectures are delivered to the student community in a classroom setting. To the extent possible, they are conducted in the mother tongue of the students to facilitate easy communication between them and the lecturer. The inaugural lecture, at a formal opening, is open to local dignitaries, business and labour leaders and the general public, as well as to the teachers and students of the faculty (or faculties) concerned. The final lecture is usually delivered in the context of a Round Table in order to relate the issues to the practical needs and policy requirements of the concerned country or region.

The fifth ILO Social Policy Lectures were held at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary, in November 2001, and were the core of a credited course offered by CEU under its International Business Law module. The lectures were delivered by Simon Deakin, Robert Monks Professor of Corporate Governance, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, who focused on the theme "Renewing Labour Market Institutions" - (pdf 529 KB). The lectures also provided an occasion for the University to host a Round Table titled "The Regional Perspective: Labour Market Institutions and Policies for Central and Eastern Europe".

The sixth ILO Nobel Peace Prize Social Policy Lectures were held in Tokyo: 1-3 December 2003 in collaboration with Tokyo University and the ILO Office in Japan. The lectures dealt with the theme: "New Forms and Meanings of Work in an Increasingly Globalized World" - (pdf 464 KB), and were delivered by Professor Ronald Dore of the University of London. In connection with the lectures, the Tokyo University invited a number of distinguished scholars from different countries to take part in panel discussions, addressed to different sub-themes of the lectures. The text of the lectures and the proceedings of the panel discussions have been brought out as a joint publication of the Institute and the University of Tokyo.

The seventh ILO Nobel Peace Prize Social Policy Lectures were hosted by the University of the West Indies, and were held in the Mona Campus of the university in Jamaica during 5-7 December 2005. The central theme of the lectures was "The new offshoring of jobs and global development" - (pdf 778 KB), and were delivered by Professor Gary Gereffi of Duke University, North Carolina, USA. The lectures by Professor Gereffi have been brought out as a joint publication of the Institute and the University of the West Indies.

The background

The IILS Public Lecture series provide a global platform for distinguished public figures to open new perspectives on contemporary economic and social issues before audiences of international opinion-makers and policy-makers. The lectures are attended by representatives of the ILO's tripartite constituency of governments, business organizations and trade unions; the academic, diplomatic, and press communities of Geneva and senior international officials from the ILO and other United Nations bodies. The purpose of these lectures is to encourage reflection and an exchange of views on issues of topical or future importance.

The inaugural Lecture in the series was given on 7 May 1975 by Mr. Joseph Fontanet, former Minister of Labour and of Education of France, who addressed the issue of Social Policy in a Changing World. Since that date, more than fifty Public Lectures have been delivered at the ILO under IILS auspices.

Public Lectures

Professor Harry Arthurs, York University, Toronto, Canada. ILO Decent Work Research Prize 2008 laureate, on "Decent work" at work in the world: Principles, pragmatics, paradoxes - (pdf 69 KB) (November 2008);

Professor Silvana Sciarra, Professor of European Labour and Social Law, Jean Monnet Chair, Faculty of Law of the University of Florence, on 'Modernization' of labour law: A current European debate - (pdf 231 KB) (March 2007);

Professor Mireille Delmas-Marty, Collège de France, on La dimension sociale de la mondialisation et les transformations du champ juridique - (pdf 180 KB) (November 2006);

Sir Richard Jolly, Honorary Professor, Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, on Hans Singer: Gentle giant of development - (pdf 180 KB) (May 2006);

Professor Arjun K. Sengupta, Chairman, National Commission on Enterprises in the Unorganised/ Informal Sector and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Government of India, March 2006);

Professor Brian Langille, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, on What is International Labour Law for? - (pdf 203 KB) (March 2005);

Professor Bhikhu Parekh, Professor of Political Science at Westminster University, London, on Unity and Diversity in Multicultural Societies - (pdf 320 KB) (March 2004).