ILO LIAISON OFFICE – BRUSSELS
NEWSLETTER NO. 7-8/2005
Post-tsunami update
The tsunami which devastated south and southeast Asia in December 2004 robbed millions of their livelihoods.
During the first critical days following the disaster, the ILO worked on the ground to plan for early recovery and
rehabilitation, whilst at the same time addressing the most immediate reconstruction needs. The ILO's response is
based on the recognised need for action aimed at generating employment and new forms of earning a livelihood. The
ILO has set up a number of projects in the countries hardest hit by the tsunami (India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and
Thailand) focusing in particular on protecting the most vulnerable groups in society, such as orphans, the disabled
and widows and widowers. Most of the victims of the tsunami have yet to find decent work, but encouraging results
have been achieved in Sri Lanka, for example, where 60% of the 400,000 people affected by the disaster have found
some sort of work.
An article in the ILO World of Work magazine provides an update of the situation seven months on. You can read it
by clicking
here.
Information from the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok, is available
here and
here.
New report on child trafficking from Eastern Europe
The ILO InFocus Programme on child labour (IPEC) recently published a new report on child trafficking in Albania,
Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. Among other things, it provides an overview of the individuals involved in trafficking,
action taken to prevent it, and the profile of victims. The report, entitled "Child Trafficking – The People Involved",
can be consulted free of charge by
clicking here.
International Conference on Social Health Insurance
An international conference on social health insurance in developing countries will be held from 5 to 7 December 2005
in Berlin. The main aim of the conference, which is being organised by the International Labour Office, German Development
Cooperation and the World Health Organisation (WHO), is to show what the possibilities of this important health funding
mechanism are for guaranteeing access to adequate curative and preventive health care. The conference will include a
forum where governments, social partners and parties with an interest in international cooperation will be able to
exchange experiences on social health insurance in developing countries and on the role it plays in fighting poverty
and achieving the Millenium Development Goals.
For more information, consult the
http://www.shi-conference.de website or contact the Conference
Secretariat (secretariat@shi-conference.de).
Work can lead to peace
An estimated 30% of the Afghan work force is unemployed. In addition, approximately 100,000 ex-combatants are about
to enter the labour market and hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning to Afghanistan. Though a vast majority
(70-80%) of them will return to their villages and find a livelihood in the agricultural sector, a considerable number
- many of whom lack formal education and training - will remain in urban areas and seek employment there. In response
to the need for labour market services, the ILO in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is
establishing Employment Services Centres in Afghanistan. Two of these centres are aimed specifically at women and
the disabled. Further information on this project can be found in the
article published on the ILO website.
Protection of indigenous and tribal peoples
In a few months' time, the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (No. 169) will have been in force for a decade.
An article from the latest edition of the ILO's World of Work magazine takes a look at the progress made and the problems
remaining for these populations - 350 million people in total - in this era of globalisation. Click
here to read the article.
The ILO, which has been working with indigenous and tribal peoples since the 1920s, is one of the key institutions in
the United Nations system for protecting these peoples against discrimination, forced labour and child labour, though it
also plays a vital role in connection with teaching and human rights in general. Its actions can essentially be divided
into two categories: the adoption and supervision of standards, on the one hand, and help offered to indigenous and
tribal peoples and countries, on the other. It has developed a project for the promotion of its policy on indigenous
and tribal peoples. To access the project website, click
here.
Did you know?
There is a database of institutional and legal information on maternity protection, the minimum wage and working time
in approximately 100 countries on the ILO Conditions of Work and Employment Programme website. You can run searches for
particular countries and compare legislation from several countries on a specific topic. To access this database, click
here.
New publications
The following recent ILO publications may be of special interest to our readers:
- Food at Work: Workplace solutions for malnutrition, obesity and chronic diseases
Christopher Wanjek; 2005, xv+448 pp.; ISBN 92-2-117015-2; €40
Good nutrition is one of the foundations of workplace productivity and safety. This book demonstrates that ensuring
that workers have access to nutritious, safe and affordable food, an adequate meal break and decent conditions for
eating is not only socially important and economically viable but a profitable business practice too. It presents a
variety of 'food solutions', including canteens, meal or food vouchers and partnerships with local vendors. You can
order the book, which is based on 28 specific case studies, by clicking
here.
- Reconciling Work and Family Responsibilities: Practical ideas from global experience
Catherine Hein ; 2005, xv+207 pp.; ISBN 92-2-115352-5; €26
This practical book presents concrete examples of what is being done in countries, communities and enterprises around
the world in order to help workers to be better able to reconcile work and family responsibilities. The examples
provide useful ideas for action by governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations as well as concerned civil
society organisations. You can order this book by clicking
here.
- Guide for assessing the feasibility of health micro-insurance schemes
Volume 1: Approach
2005, xi+99 p. ; ISBN 92-2-216571-3; €13
Volume 2: Tools
2005, xiii+190 p. ; ISBN 92-2-216572-1; €16
The number of health micro-insurance schemes is increasing rapidly in many developing countries. If these systems
are to remain viable and capable of developing in the long term, they need to be well thought out right from the start
and a feasibility study has to be carried out. This guide will help organisers of health micro-insurance schemes to
carry out feasibility studies by providing instructions on how to analyse the prerequisites for setting up a health
micro-insurance scheme and, most importantly, showing how to define their characteristics (such as how a scheme needs
to be organised and what services it will provide) in a manner ensuring that the scheme in question is viable and
efficient. This guide was written by the ILO's 'Strategies and Tools against Social Exclusion and Poverty ' (STEP)
programme. You can order a copy (in French) by clicking
here.
Schedule of meetings
The list of ILO meetings scheduled for 2005 is available by clicking
here.