Statements and speeches
April 2009
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Statement
G20 Leaders’ Statement at the 2009 London Summit
02 April 2009
After they met in London on 2 April 2009, the Leaders of the G20 pledged for an Action Plan for Recovery and Reform.
March 2009
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Statement
Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of International Women’s Day
06 March 2009
Today we celebrate the enormous—and often unacknowledged—contributions of women around the world to their families, communities and societies. This year, the focus of the United Nations is financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women. At the ILO, we are marking the day by highlighting the importance of “Investing in Decent Work for women: Not just right, but smart.”
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Statement
Address by Juan Somavia for International Women’s Day
05 March 2009
Address by Juan Somavia for International Women’s Day
February 2009
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World Day of Social Justice
Message by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, for the World Day of Social Justice
20 February 2009
Work is a principal determinant of how people experience the present and their prospects for the future. It is a keystone of social justice. Ninety years ago, the ILO’s Constitution affirmed: “universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice”. On this foundation, the ILO has brought its work-centred mission to the cause of social justice.
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Statement
Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of World Day of Social Justice
20 February 2009
Today we mark the first World Day of Social Justice, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in November 2007.
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International coordination
Joint statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of five international organizations, including the OECD, ILO, IMF, WTO and the World Bank
06 February 2009
The role of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda in responding to the global economic downturn has received strong support at a meeting of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the heads of five international organizations, including the OECD, ILO, IMF, WTO and the World Bank in Berlin. A statement issued following the meeting supported “The ILO's ‘Decent Work Agenda’ based on employment and enterprise development, social protection, humane working con-ditions, sound labour relations and rights at work” as key to international efforts in support of a "stronger, cleaner and fairer economy.”
December 2008
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Statement
Social Consequences and Responses to the Financial and Economic Crisis: Discussion paper by Juan Somavia to the United Nations system Chief Executives Board
18 December 2008
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Statement
Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of International Migrants Day
18 December 2008
Of the 200 million international migrants, 50 per cent are women and men migrant workers who have left their homes and communities to find work and better opportunities elsewhere in the world to support their families and communities.
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Migrant workers
Message by Juan Somavia on International Migrants Day
17 December 2008
Of the 200 million international migrants, 50 per cent are women and men migrant workers who have left their homes and communities to find work and better opportunities elsewhere in the world to support their families and communities. They make huge but often unrecognized contributions to growth and development of both their host countries and home communities. While the full impact of the crisis on migrant workers is yet to unfold, there are reports of direct layoffs, worsening working conditions including wage cuts, increasing returns, and reductions in immigrant intakes.
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Statement of ILO Director-General Juan Somavia
After the Meltdown: Advancing Living Standards around the Globe in the Wake of the Financial Crisis
12 December 2008
Failing financial institutions, frozen credit, volatile stock markets, mounting job losses, and painful cuts in wages are impacting the lives of struggling citizens worldwide. Speaking at the Centre for American Progress, in Washington D.C. (USA), Juan Somavia underlined how the decent work agenda can become a unifying factor in building a coordinated approach to the crisis. "We need a global strategy that can help hundreds of millions of families living in poverty here and around the world to move up new ladders of opportunity. The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda can be a foundation for a global new deal."