Future harvests without child labour The vast majority of the world’s working children are not toiling in factories and sweatshops or working as domestics or street vendors in urban areas. They are working on farms and plantations, often from sun-up to sundown, planting and harvesting crops, spraying pesticides and tending livestock.
The end of child labour: Millions of voices, one common hope
The past decade has seen an unprecedented convergence of thought and action within the worldwide movement against child labour. In the 15th year of the ILO’s International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), World of Work looks at its achievements and its vision for future action. Alec Fyfe, IPEC Senior Child Labour Specialist, contributed to this article.
August 2007
Green jobs: Facing up to "an inconvenient truth"
Over the last year or so, it has dawned on policy makers, businesses and the public around the world that climate change looks set to become the biggest social and environmental challenge of the 21st century. Peter Poschen, ILO Senior Policy Specialist and focal point on climate change, looks at the social and labour impacts of this complex global challenge.
Talking weather: Trade unions and climate change
It's been a way of breaking the ice – but now it's time for real discussions and bargaining to find solutions to save not only the tops of the icebergs, but the whole planet. ...
Indigenous women overcome multiple obstacles Indigenous peoples around the world suffer from discrimination in the world of work, but indigenous women can be particularly hard hit by the double whammy of ethnicity and gender. Jessie Fredlund of the ILO Gender Bureau and INDISCO looks at the problem and finds some success stories in Bangladesh.
Cooperating out of poverty: Cooperative reform in Tanzania African cooperatives are recreating themselves through member empowerment and increased commercial viability. British journalist Andrew Bibby reports from the United Republic of Tanzania where cooperatives are adopting a new approach to sustainability.
Working together out of poverty No miracles, just decent work Every day tens of millions of people around the world seek their own way out of poverty through a simple act: they go to work. For many, however, their efforts are not enough to escape the poverty trap. What people need are jobs - and a fair chance of getting a decent one. ...
September 2006
Dispelling the migrant myth Recent media buzz has sparked the latest global debate on migrant workers. Poverty and the decent work deficit are the two main reasons these workers cross borders in search of better lives, and most often they will take any job they can find, no matter how dirty or dangerous. ...
Picking education, not tea: Voices of change in Uganda The new ILO report The end of child labour: Within reach paints a mixed picture of child labour worldwide. While the global total of child labourers is on the decline, there remain some 50 million working children in sub-Saharan Africa. ...
April 2006
Disabled people in Ethiopia: Making public services work for poor people Most of Addis Ababa's estimated 3 million population lives in slums and informal settlements. In June 2005 the President of Ethiopia officially opened the first of 30 modern public shower and toilet facilities run by a cooperative of disabled persons in Addis Ababa with the support of the ILO. ...
The Decent Work Deficit: A new ILO report outlines the latest global employment trends The ILO's 2006 Global Employment Trends Brief paints a sombre picture not only of growing unemployment and poverty but of a significant lack of decent job opportunities, especially for young people. Despite the robust world economic growth of 2005, the global economy failed to deliver enough new jobs. ...
A personal stake: Why employee-owned businesses return more than a profit Employee-owned businesses remain an oft-overlooked option for companies as a means toward ramping up productivity, profit and morale. But a new study shows that the overwhelming success of companies like UK-based John Lewis is due to innovative mechanisms to encourage employee participation and cultivate a culture of ownership. ...
Full steam ahead! ILO adopts "super Convention" for the maritime sector Over 1.2 million seafarers represent the world's most global and globalized workforce, and it is they and the shipowners for whom they work who move the bulk of world trade as well as serving on passenger ships. ...
Real-time response The ILO's role in helping Pakistan rebuild and get back to work The ILO continues to play an important role in the earthquake recovery efforts in Pakistan. From establishing emergency employment centres and cash-for-work programmes to easing trauma through decent work, the ILO's multi-pronged approach capitalized on an existing infrastructure for technical cooperation to distribute resources quickly and efficiently.
December 2005
Jobs and the millennium generation: Working out of poverty At the recent World Summit of the UN General Assembly, over 150 Heads of State approved a historic Outcome Document stating: "We strongly support fair globalization and resolve to make the goal of full and productive employment and decent work for all... a central objective. ...
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