BRUSSELS/GENEVA (ILO News) -- The Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO), Mr. Juan Somavia, will address the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 14 September 2011 at 14.00, at the invitation of the European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek.

Mr. Somavia’s intervention comes at a time when the European Union (EU) is taking new steps aimed at strengthening economic governance in response to the financial, economic and social crisis. His address also comes in the run-up to the G20 Employment and Labour Ministerial on 26-27 September in Paris.

In his address, Mr. Somavia will discuss the current employment and social situation and policy orientations to counter the persistent jobs crisis. He will particularly stress the state of the real economy and the demands of people for decent work. He will argue for strategies grounded in the founding values including those reflected in International Labour Standards that are shared by the EU and the ILO.

The speech will be followed by a questions and answer session.

For more information, contact:

ILO Geneva : communication@ilo.org, +4122 799-7973

ILO Brussels: giffeler@ilo.org, +32 2 737 9389

The International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour Organization.