Convention 111 and International Women's Day

C111 – Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958

7 March 2013

So peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, poverty. Aung San Suu Kyi
Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the majorities necessary for political change. So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. Hillary Clinton



Direct and indirect discrimination at work denies opportunities to individuals and deprives society of what those people can contribute. Eliminating discrimination starts with dismantling barriers and ensuring equality in access to training and education, as well as the ability to own and use resources. In recognition of this fact, the Convention on Discrimination (No. 111) was adopted at the International Labour Conference on 25 June 1958. Convention No. 111 entered into force on 15 June 1960.

Convention No. 111 affirms that discrimination constitutes a violation of rights enunciated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It upholds the fact that all people, irrespective of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, economic security and equal opportunity. Convention No. 111 is one of the eight Conventions identified by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office as fundamental to the rights of human beings at work, irrespective of the level of development of individual member States.

Convention No. 111 has been ratified by 172 countries to date.

International Women’s Day, 8 March

Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. Kofi Annan
International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century. The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United States on 28 February 1909 in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York, where women protested against deplorable working conditions. On 19 March 1911 – the same year as the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire – International Women's Day was marked for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland as a result of the Copenhagen initiative. More than one million women and men attended rallies.

Since 1975, the United Nations has recognized 8 March as International Women's Day. The official United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2013 is “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.” This year, the ILO is highlighting the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace – an often subtle form of aggression.

Related ILO Conventions