All Director-General statements

Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF

Restore progress towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals

Measures to reduce poverty and widen access to social protection are among a list of COVID-19 recovery priorities outlined by ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, at the virtual annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. His...

World Mental Health Day

Let’s talk about mental health in the workplace

ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, underlines the importance of looking after our mental health at a time when stresses are rising because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting

Tourism can kickstart economic recovery, with the right policy support, ILO Director-General tells G20 Ministers

Tourism can play a critical role in kickstarting the global economy, but special measures to support vulnerable worker groups will be essential, along with social dialogue and effective cross-sectoral policies.

UNDP-ILO Framework for Action

The present Framework for Action between UNDP and ILO for 2020 and beyond builds on key areas of collaboration and seeks to add concrete value to both organizations’ strategic priorities in a reformed UN system and within the context of the 2030...

G20 Saudi Arabia 2020

ILO Director-General’s remarks at G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting (LEMM): Update on Global Labour Markets

G20 Saudi Arabia 2020

Time to talk about building back a better world of work, Director-General tells L20 trade union leaders

The ILO’s Director-General has told L20 trade union leaders that international solidarity and common purpose are essential to building back better from the COVID-19 crisis.

International Day of Cooperatives

Cooperatives play an active role in tackling global crises, says ILO Director-General

By adhering to environmental standards and promoting local production, consumer and producer cooperatives can help limit greenhouse gas emissions and sustain supply chains for essential goods and services, says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, on the...

Syria: IV Brussels Conference

Statement by the ILO Director-General to the Brussels IV Conference supporting Syria and the region

“Let us focus on building back better with a human-centred approach with and for refugees and their host communities,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has said to the Brussels IV Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region, convened...

Global Deal Conference

Social dialogue essential to any effective response to the pandemic says ILO Director-General

Giving communities a greater voice in their own affairs enables compromises on difficult issues, says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder’s at the Global Deal Conference on “Social Dialogue and the SDGs in the times of the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Virtual Oceans Dialogue of the World Economic Forum

Include the ocean economy in the response to COVID-19

More international cooperation is needed to help the seafaring sector, said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, at the Virtual Oceans Dialogue of the World Economic Forum.

Obituary – Norbert Blüm

Extraordinary G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting - 24 April 2020 - Draft Speaking Points for ILO Director General

G20 Meeting

Extraordinary G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting - 24 April 2020 - ILO Director-General Remarks (as prepared for delivery)

Virtual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF

COVID-19: Immediate relief needed to protect workers and enterprises, says ILO Director-General

Priority attention should be given to small enterprises, unprotected workers and those in the informal economy, says the Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Guy Ryder, in a statement to the Spring Meeting of the IMF/World Bank...

Virtual Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF

We need a human-centred response to COVID-19 through global solidarity

In a statement to the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the IMF and World Bank, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Guy Ryder, outlined the steps that need to be taken to lessen the impact of the crisis on...

Debate on the Future of Work and the European Pillar of Social Rights

The future of work and the EU’s Pillar of Social Rights

The values of the ILO and those of the Pillar of Social Rights are closely aligned, directing us towards a future of work that is fair and inclusive, the ILO Director-General has said in a speech to the European Economic and Social Committee.

The 2030 Agenda and the future of work in Europe

Greater efforts needed to achieve SDG targets

Speaking at the University of Helsinki, the ILO Director-General told an audience from the Sustainability Foundation that a lack of credible action on the SDG’s risked damaging the credibility of national and multilateral institutions.

Seminar – Centenary of the Finnish membership of the ILO

Ryder salutes Finland’s contribution to ILO’s work

Since joining the ILO in December 1920, Finland has contributed to various areas of ILO’s work. Speaking at a seminar to celebrate the Centenary of Finland’s membership of the ILO, Ryder said that it has been a two-way street.

G7 Social High Level Meeting, Paris

Reducing inequalities for sustainable development

Paris Joint Statement of the French Minister of Labour, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic...

UN Climate Change Conference COP 25

Director-General Guy Ryder launches Climate Action for Jobs Initiative at COP 25

Effective action on climate change must include human-centred and sustainable policies to promote decent work for all.