From left to right- Mr. Rytis Paulauskas, Mr. Kamran Rahman, Dr. Nidal Katamine and Ms. Eulogia Familia

GENEVA – The Minister of Labour and Minister of Transport of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Nidal Katamine, has been elected president for the 102nd session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), which takes place from 5 to 20 June.


“The financial and economic crises that the world has witnessed since 2008 and the tragedy of mass unemployment that has prevailed in many countries highlights the importance of the ILO and the vital social and economic role it plays globally,” Dr. Katamine said in his opening speech to the conference.

Fifty-two-year-old Dr. Katamine has been Jordan’s Labour Minister since 2010. Earlier this year, he was also appointed Minister of Transport. It is the third time a Jordanian Labour Minister has been elected to the ILC presidency.

The Conference elected as Vice-Presidents, Mr. Kamran Rahman (Employers) from Bangladesh, Ms. Eulogia Familia (Workers) from the Dominican Republic, and Mr. Rytis Paulauskas (Governments) from Lithuania.

The ILC sets the broad policies of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and meets once a year in Geneva, Switzerland. The annual Conference brings together some 5000 government, worker and employer delegates from the ILO’s 185 member States.

Often called a world parliament of labour, the Conference establishes and adopts international labour standards and is a forum for discussion of key social and labour questions. It also adopts the Organization's budget and elects its Governing Body.

During the two-week conference, delegates will discuss a broad range of issues, including employment, growth and social progress; domestic child labour; the situation in Myanmar; employment and social protection in an ageing world; strengthening social dialogue between governments, employers and workers; and promoting decent and green jobs.

For more information please contact the Department of Communication and Public Information at communication@ilo.org or +4122/799-7912.