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90th Anniversary of the International Labour Organization

90th Anniversary of the International Labour Organization
Events around the world
Events in Asia and the Pacific

World Day Against Child Labour
12 June 2009 - Give girls a chance - End child labour

World Day for Safety and Health at Work
28 April 2009

International Women's Day
8 March 2009

Asia-Pacific Regional High Level Meeting on
Socially-Inclusive Strategies to Extend Social Security Coverage
19-20 May 2008

Child Labour web movie

The ILO: What it is. What it does

'The primary goal of the ILO today,' says Director-General Juan Somavia, 'is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.'

The International Labour Organization was established in 1919, after the First World War, following the Treaty of Versailles. The International Labour Office is headed by a Director-General appointed by the Governing Body. Albert Thomas of France was the first Director-General of the ILO. The current Director-General, Juan Somavia, took office in March 1999.

In 2003, the field offices of the ILO were restructured and Subregional Offices (SRO) were established. In Asia, three SROs- Bangkok, Manila and New Delhi - became operational as of 1 April 2003.

The SRO-New Delhi, in close collaboration with the Country Offices/Liaison Office in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Republic of Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, is responsible for programme, planning and implementation of ILO activities in these countries besides being directly responsible for ILO activities in India and Islamic Republic of Iran. In the case of Pakistan, SRO-New Delhi provides only technical assistance. Activities in Bhutan, a non-member country in the sub-region, are carried out as and when requested.

What's new

ILO launches book on "Forced labour: Coercion and exploitation in the private economy
More than 200 years after a slave rebellion in the Caribeean sparked a movement that eventually led to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, an estimated 12 million people around the world still work under coercion in forced labour, slavery and slavery-like practices. The ILO Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour is marking the annual International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on August 23 with the release of a new, comprehensive series of case studies and policy reocmmendations on forced labour and modern slavery in the world today..
ILO welcomes new support for the Global Jobs Pact from the UN Economic and Social Council
The International Labour Office welcomed the adoption on Friday 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.
New ILO report says "cost of coercion" to workers in forced labour surpasses US$ 20 billion per year
In a new study on the patterns of forced labour worldwide, the International Labour Office (ILO) says the “opportunity cost” of coercion to the workers affected reaches over USD 20 billion per year.
90th Anniversary of the International Labour Organization - (pdf, 37 kb)
The Director-General's statement on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the ILO
National Skill Development Policy: - (pdf, 407 kb)
The National Skills Development Policy was approved by the Government of India in February 2009. This was the result of a multistakeholder, participatory and coherant process led by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, in technical & facilitating collaboration with the ILO.

Ongoing and upcoming

9 - 10 November 2009, New Delhi, India
Joint ILO-UNICEF Meeting on Child Labour
26 - 30 October 2009, New Delhi, India
Training Course on 'Sustainable Enterprise Promotion through Good Workplace Pratices in Human Resource Management and Workplace Practices'
6 October 2009, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Tripartite discussion on the Current Status and Evolution of Industrial Relations in Tamil Nadu
30 September - 1 October 2009, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
National Workshop on Maritime Labour Convention
9 - 11 September 2009, New Delhi, India
HIV/AIDS Project Dissemination Workshop
9 September 2009, New Delhi, India
MoLE/ILO National Seminar on Report to the People on Employment
15 - 16 July 2009, New Delhi, India
National Consultation on Decent Work for Domestic Workers

see all events >

map of countries covered by SRO - New Delhi Disclaimer: The above map does not reflect a position by the ILO on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.