ILO - BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER N° 12/2007
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Better integration of disabled persons in the workplace
On the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December, the ILO called for new efforts to support people with disabilities in the world of work.
The ILO estimates that some 650 million people – or 10% of the world's population – have a disability, and that of these,
approximately 470 million are of working age. While many are successfully employed and fully integrated into society, a large number of people
with disabilities face disproportionate levels of poverty and unemployment, as well as discrimination in the workplace. New efforts are therefore
necessary to break down the barriers preventing millions of disabled persons from working, but also to progress towards achieving the Millennium
Development Goal of halving poverty by 2015: an estimated 80 per cent of all people with disabilities in the world live in developing countries
and of these, 426 million live below the poverty line.
Click here to read
the ILO's press release on the subject, or
here to see the ILO's guide on managing disability in
the workplace.
New ILO fund for microinsurance
The ILO has concluded a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the aim of developing new kinds of basic insurance and
improving existing products to promote decent work for tens of millions of low-income people in the developing world. The $34 million donation
from the Gates Foundation will help create the Microinsurance Innovation Facility, a one-of-a-kind, five-year initiative that will provide funding
to pilot new insurance products, improve efficiency in the field and use technology to create new products that better meet people’s needs. The
facility will also train technical specialists to help replicate successful models. By 2012, these grants will enable at least 25 million people
living in poverty to have access to insurance coverage that they otherwise would not have. The new facility is led by the
Social Finance Programme, the ILO's reference point for microfinance matters.
Click here to read a
press release on the subject.
Furthermore, the Social Finance Programme has just published a new study on how to balance business and poverty reduction by defining criteria
for supporting microfinance institutions.
Click here to read an
interview with the author of this study, Bernd Balkenhol.
Better management of hazardous substances at work
A meeting of experts was held in Geneva from 10 to 13 December with a view to developing a policy framework for hazardous substances. The aim
was to discuss how ILO instruments and other tools concerning occupational safety and health and hazardous substances could be best incorporated
into a new policy framework and action plan.
Click here for more information on this meeting, or
here to download the document on which the discussions
were based. The document, which provides an overview of hazardous substances, also deals with international labour standards applying to this area
and the importance of social dialogue for risk reduction.
The brain drain may create investment opportunities
The International Institute for Labour Studies, which conducts research on social policy matters in the ILO's areas of activity, has published a
study on the use of migrants' social capital as a strategy for development in the IT sector. It considers the cases of China, India and Taiwan
(China), whose migrants often contribute to the creation of links between businesses in their home countries and their host countries. The study
deals with policies countries of origin could adopt to capitalise on their migrants' presence abroad, such as creating optimal conditions for
investments or keeping in touch with migrants.
Click here to read this study.
Cooperation between the UN and the European Commission
The United Nations is a key political and operational partner to the European Union (EU). In 2006 alone, the European Commission supported joint or
UN activities in 105 countries
in the fields of human rights, humanitarian aid, health, education, post-conflict reconstruction, social development and employment. The UN
agencies' team in Brussels has published a report on this partnership and its results, which you can read by
clicking here. The report focuses notably on joint efforts by the EU
and the ILO in promoting decent work and core labour standards and fighting child labour and human trafficking.
The impact of China and India on developed countries' labour markets
The ILO's Policy Integration Department has published a new study on the impact the integration of China and India, two countries with rapidly-growing
economies, will have on the labour markets of developed countries. Their integration is taking place against the backdrop of 'current globalisation',
which is characterised by free trade, free movement of capital and flexibility of local labour markets. Will the industrial revolution, such an urgent
social requirement for China and India, be compatible with full employment and 'real' salary increases in developed countries? The study concludes
that these factors will not be compatible in the current climate. It does suggest, however, that coordination and international cooperation within
the framework of 'alternative globalisation' would be a better way to achieve these aims, if not the only way.
Click here to read this study.
Did you know?
The ILO's Social Dialogue Department's website is home to a database on national legislation concerning the termination of employment in the
private sector. To illustrate the diversity of national approaches, the database reviews the legislation of more than 77 countries. It also
provides comparative tables on topics such as the minimum notice period, compensation, special protection for trade union representatives
and women on maternity leave, and so on. You can consult the database by
clicking here.
Scheduled meetings
Click here for a list of meetings scheduled by the ILO for 2008.
Contact us
For more information on the ILO's activities, please contact the :
ILO Brussels
Rue Aimé Smekens 40
B -1030 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: + 32 02 736 59 42
Fax: +32.02 735 48 25
E-mail: brussels@ilo.org
Website : www.ilo.org/brussels
The ILO Liaison Office in Brussels wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!
