July 2006

1. Press release

   Montenegro becomes 179th ILO Member State

   18 July 2006

   The Republic of Montenegro has become the 179th Member State of the International Labour Organization (ILO) following receipt in Geneva of a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miodrag Vlahovic, stating, on behalf of the government, that the Republic of Montenegro formally accepts the obligations of the ILO Constitution.

2. News

   ILO launches child labour web movie

   17 July 2006

   The International Labour Office (ILO) has launched a new Web movie (in 12 languages) featuring the plight of more than 200 million child labourers worldwide, but also signs of hope showing that the end of child labour is within our reach. The ILO is committed to helping countries lift all children out of the worst forms of child labour by 2016.

3. News

   International Microfinance Training opts for Turin (Italy) as world capital

   14 July 2006

   Over 260 international microfinance experts will meet in Turin (17 July - 4 August) for the 3-week programme "Boulder Microfinance Training", the most prestigious microfinance training event in the world, which has been hosted since the International Year of Microcredit 2005 by the International Training of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Turin, Italy.

4. Article

   Safer work in agriculture in Viet Nam

   13 July 2006

   The agricultural sector in Viet Nam which employs 58 per cent of the country's total workforce is also one of the most dangerous, and farmers are exposed to many accidents and work-related diseases each year. The Viet Nam Chapter of the ILO/Japan Regional Programme for Capacity Building of Occupational Safety and Heath (OSH) in Agriculture was launched in May 2004 and helps the Government formulate a national programme on occupational safety and health and assist farmers improve their living and working conditions. Nguyen Van Theu, National Project Coordinator of the ILO, reports from Viet Nam.

5. Article

   From stitching to playing: Sialkot ten years after

   07 July 2006

   As the final match of the FIFA World Cup 2006 captures worldwide attention, the final match against child labour is still to be played - even though the ILO's recent global report on child labour sees its end "within reach". Last month, the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and FIFA kicked off an innovative football module in Sialkot, Pakistan, as part of rehabilitation efforts for former child labourers and children still to be removed from work.

6. Article

   Tackling the "decent work deficit"

   06 July 2006

   Government leaders, heads of international agencies and senior experts in economic and employment issues meet here on 3-5 July to highlight proposals for cutting poverty and providing new hope to the world's working poor. The meeting of the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will focus on promoting decent work as the sustainable route out of poverty.

7. Article

   Decent Work FAQ: Making decent work a global goal

   06 July 2006

   The ILO's Decent Work Agenda calls for a development strategy that acknowledges the central role of work in people's live. The theme of this year's High-Level Segment of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) reflects an international consensus that productive employment and decent work are key elements to reducing poverty. Here are some FAQs on decent work by ILO Online.

8. Article

   Decent work: How country programmes help forge a path out of poverty

   06 July 2006

   New pilot programmes are the leading edge of the ILO's efforts to implement its decent work agenda at the country level. Decent Work Pilot Programmes are founded on the ILO's four strategic objectives--employment promotion, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue - integrating economic and social objectives. In Ghana, a pilot Decent Work Country Programme has shown how people can put decent work into practice, and fight poverty in the bargain.

9. Press release

   ILO hails new UN Declaration on strengthening global efforts to promote Decent Work for poverty reduction and sustainable development

   06 July 2006

   The International Labour Organization (ILO) today hailed the adoption by the United Nations of a Ministerial Declaration on full and productive employment and decent work, saying it would help strengthen efforts by the UN and the multilateral system aimed at creating jobs, cutting poverty and providing new hope for the world's 1.4 billion working poor during the next decade.

June 2006

1. Article

   International Day of Cooperatives (1 July 2006) Standing on their own: Cooperative reform in Tanzania

   29 June 2006

   Tanzania's cooperative reform programme reflects a wider process of reform internationally as cooperatives recreate themselves through member empowerment and increased commercial viability. The ILO's Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation No. 193, agreed in 2002, provides the global framework for this reform. British journalist Andrew Bibby reports from Tanzania where cooperatives, which date back to the early 1930s, are adopting a new approach to sustainability.