ILO LIAISON OFFICE – BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER NO. 11/2003
Development in Africa should be driven by decent jobs
After four days of talks, the tenth ILO African regional meeting ended on 5 December 2003 with a series of
recommendations that focus on employment as a key strategy in development and in the fight against poverty
in Africa. The recommendations call for increased action by the ILO in fighting poverty in Africa. The delegates
agreed to make the best possible use of the ILO's tripartite structure in its contribution to the extraordinary
summit on promoting employment and fighting poverty, due to be held in Burkina Faso in 2004, with the heads of
state and government of the African Union. A press release summarising the meeting is available
here.
Juan Somavia and the social dimension of globalisation
On 27 November 2003 Juan Somavia gave a speech at the Global Progressive Forum on the social dimension
of globalisation and the importance of decent jobs. The Forum was held in Brussels at the European Parliament.
In his speech, Mr Somavia emphasised the failure of the Washington Consensus policy package sometimes dubbed market fundamentalism.
"We prefer open societies and economies, provided that the rules are fair and that we can organise,
express ourselves and have an influence on events"
, Mr Somavia said. To advance the situation, he suggested four areas for political intervention: devising a
strategy of balanced global growth combining economic and social objectives; promoting the social dialogue;
targeting full employment and decent jobs for everyone; and fighting neoliberal policies that are indifferent
to social inequalities.
You will find
here the interview with
Mr Somavia on this topic published by the Belgian newspaper De Morgen.
The full text of Mr Somavia's speech at the Progressive Forum can be found
here.
ILO-EU cooperation on managing the migration of workers
The ILO and the European Commission have decided to work together on a project to design and promote the adoption
of new frameworks and mechanisms as well as new strategies for organising and managing the migration of workers in
Africa and between Africa and Europe as a development tool. The aim here is, among other things, to bolster
capabilities in terms of the various aspects of regulating migratory flows, as well as collecting and analysing
administrative data. The ILO will also provide direct technical support to the governments and social partners
in devising and implementing specific policies and mechanisms for cooperation on migration.
Next regional European meeting to be held in Budapest
The ILO's next European regional meeting will be held in Budapest, Hungary in February 2005. The purpose of the
ILO regional meeting, held every four years, is to examine activities in a given region and to identify strategies
for improving economic, social and employment conditions in the countries in question. The agenda will include the
discussion of a report (to be published in late 2004) on the various transitions which the people of Europe must
face in the years to come as a result of an ageing population: the transition from school to work (employment of
young people); from work to retirement; from one job to another (flexibility/security) and from one country to
another (migration). Managing these transitions efficiently supposes good governance, including effective social
dialogue mechanisms.
Preparations for the meeting are well under way. The Luxembourg government, which will hold the EU presidency
in the first half of 2005, has indicated that it would make this meeting an integral part of its presidency's
agenda. The Hungarian and Luxembourg governments will both contribute to holding this seventh European regional meeting.
Health care systems in crisis in Eastern Europe
More than ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, health care systems in many Central and Eastern European
countries have eroded to a point where they are on the verge of collapse,
thus jeopardising an increasingly vulnerable population. However, according to a new publication from the
ILO and Public Services International (
click here),
it is not just the ill who are at risk. With health care systems on the verge of collapse, workers are falling
prey to high levels of stress. The report also focuses on poor working conditions and very low wages
(if they are even paid at all).
Cuts in public spending are partly responsible for this decay, leading to a catastrophic fall in the average
life expectancy in countries such as Russia and Ukraine. The lack of money has encouraged doctors and other
individuals in direct contact with the sick to ask for or expect bribes from patients. In Russia, for instance,
these 'under the table payments' account for around 40% of all costs incurred by individuals receiving health care.
Employment of young people and health & safety issues on the ILO agenda in 2005
While the agenda for the International Labour Conference in 2004 has already been drawn up (it includes debates on
developing human resources, fisheries and migrant workers), the Governing Body has decided to start preparing the
agenda for the International Labour Conference in 2005. This will include a general discussion on the employment
of young people and another discussion on health and safety at work with a view to adopting a new instrument for
promoting this issue.
With regard to health and safety at work, the main aim of the proposed new instrument (a convention or
recommendation) will be to ensure that health and safety are given priority at national level and that they are
also the subject of a political commitment in favour of national strategies to improve them via enhanced prevention
policies. The general discussion on the employment of young people will give the ILO an opportunity to examine
strategies in this area, bearing in mind the current economic, social and political context, as well as foreseeable
developments. According to the ILO, there are some 74 million unemployed young people of both sexes around the world,
accounting for 41% of the total number of unemployed.
ILO manages a large reconstruction programme in Afghanistan
Right from the start of Afghanistan's rehabilitation, that country's government opted to follow the strategy
advised by the ILO, which encourages the creation of decent jobs for the least skilled workers.
ILO experts in Afghanistan convinced the representatives of the World Bank, the European Union and several
bilateral donors that the new Afghan infrastructure should be designed in accordance with job-creation strategies,
including jobs for Afghan women. The National Emergency Employment Programme (more than €160 million) was established.
It is managed on-site by a Dutch expert, Bas Athmer. This is the largest reconstruction programme in the field of
employment creation and social protection currently underway in Afghanistan. For more information please
click here.
Did you know ?
The ILO's online library is full of useful information for anyone interested in the world of labour,
especially information centres and other libraries: statistics, national and international law,
indexing techniques, etc. Access it by
clicking here.
New publications
The ILO's recent publications include the following, which may be of particular interest to our readers:
- Yearbook of Labour Statistics 2003
62nd edition; 2003 ; xvi+1769 p. ; ISBN 92-2-014184-1 ; 135 euro
Since it first appeared in 1935-36, the Yearbook of Labour Statistics has become the universal statistical
reference work for labour issues. It systematically brings together a vast amount of information from multiple
official sources and covers some 190 countries. It can be ordered
here.
- ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations: Its Dynamic and Impact
Eric Gravel and Chloé Charbonneau-Jobin, 2003 ; viii+102 p. ; ISBN 92-2-214830-4 ; 11 euro
Every year, the ILO's Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations publishes
a report. The commission verifies compliance of legislation and practice in the ILO's 177 member countries
with the international labour standards. This report analyses the practical conclusions of the work done by
the Committee as well as changes made to the various political and legislative systems. It can be ordered
here.
Schedule of meetings for 2004
Please
click here
if you would like a list of meetings scheduled by the ILO in 2004.
The ILO Liaison Office-Brussels wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
