News
October 2009
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Influenza A pandemic
Business continuity planning: how the ILO prepares enterprises for a major Influenza A pandemic
29 October 2009
The ILO held a workshop on “Business continuity planning for Pandemics” with the participation of workers’ and employers’ representatives from key sectors, as well as representatives from related UN agencies. The meeting aimed to promote preparedness among diverse economic sectors for the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) and its potential impact on businesses worldwide. ILO Online spoke with Alfredo Lazarte-Hoyle, director of the ILO Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction.
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Social Entrepreneurship Award 2009
One dinner that changed thousands of lives
27 October 2009
Last month, the Salvadoran NGO Agape was awarded the Social Entrepreneurship Award 2009 for Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The prize, presented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, recognizes Agape’s contribution to improving the lives of thousands of poor Salvadorans as well as its leadership and innovation in applying a successful business model.
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Tackling the crisis
Arab Employment Forum endorses agenda for action in the region
21 October 2009
The Arab Employment Forum closed with agreement between the government, employer and worker representatives of 22 countries on an Agenda for Action to apply the Global Jobs Pact in the region to mitigate the immediate impacts of the economic crisis on labour markets.
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Arab States
Arab Employment Forum opens with strong call for a job-centered recovery
19 October 2009
Government, employer and worker representatives opened a three-day Arab Employment Forum amid growing concerns over the impact of the global economic crisis on jobs and enterprises in the region, and an urgent call for action based on the ILO Global Jobs Pact. “The crisis calls for the building of a new model of sustainable and productive growth with sustainable enterprises and decent work, with dynamic markets operating within a framework of shared public policy objectives, not oblivious of the environment, concerned with the most vulnerable,” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia in his opening address to the Forum.
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Crisis impact
ILO report says temporary workers among the worst hit by the economic crisis, urges balance between flexible labour markets and workers’ protection
19 October 2009
A new report issued by the International Labour Office says that workers employed by temporary employment agencies have been among the first to lose their jobs as a result of the financial and economic crisis. At the same time, the report also observes that ratification of ILO Convention No. 181 on private employment agencies can help to promote Decent Work and ensure better functioning labour markets.
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Decent work
ILO publishes pilot study on decent work in Austria
19 October 2009
The International Labour Office (ILO) today issued a country study on decent work in Austria, the first in a series that will systematically examine decent work in ILO member States.
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Beirut, Lebanon 19-21 October 2009
Arab Employment Forum to address impact of the global financial crisis on employment
18 October 2009
A three-day Arab Employment Forum opens in Beirut with the participation of high-level delegates from 22 countries in the region to examine the consequences of the global economic crisis on Arab states and consider ways of sustaining jobs and extending social protection for its citizens.
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Beirut, Lebanon 19-21 October 2009
Arab Employment Forum: A Jobs Pact for Recovery and Growth
15 October 2009
Under the patronage of H.E. the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the Arab Labour Organization (ALO) will host the Arab Employment Forum (AEF) in Beirut on 19-21 October 2009. Keynote speakers will include Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Ahmed Luqman, Director-General of the ALO and labour ministers from across the Arab world.
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International cooperation
Somalia: addressing the root causes of piracy and warlordism
13 October 2009
Faced with a dramatic increase in piracy off the Horn of Africa, countries have stepped up their efforts to protect shipping in the region. However, attention is now turning more to the question of why people turn to piracy to make a living and what can be done to provide an alternative. ILO Online reports from Somalia where an ILO programme financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) seeks to provide a visible peace dividend to poor communities by engaging them in large scale employment-intensive projects, together with enterprise skills development and the promotion of social dialogue.
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Decent work and globalization
Informal employment curbs trade benefits for developing countries
12 October 2009
A joint study from the International Labour Organization and the WTO has found that high incidence of informal employment in the developing world suppresses countries' ability to benefit from trade opening by creating poverty traps for workers in job transition. “The study confirms what we know from experience, that by promoting complementarity between decent work objectives and trade, financial and labour market policies, developing countries are much better placed to benefit from trade opening, advance the social dimension of globalization, and to cope with the current crisis” said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.