South-South Cooperation
Brazil and ILO sign a new agreement to promote labour rights and decent work
The agreement was signed during the XI Annual Evaluation Meeting of the Brazil-ILO Trilateral South-South Cooperation Programme
15 October 2024
BRASÍLIA (ILO News) – The Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MTE), and the International Labour Organization (ILO) signed the South-South Cooperation project "Decent Work and Social Justice" on Monday 14 October 2024, aimed at promoting decent work, social justice, social dialogue, and labour rights in developing countries of the Global South.
The new project with the MTE and ILO will be implemented under the Brazil-ILO South-South Cooperation Programme: Social Justice for the Global South, signed in 2023 by ABC and the ILO to support the promotion of decent work and social justice in Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. The programme focuses on eradicating child labour and forced labour, strengthening occupational safety and health (OSH) and labour inspection, promoting gender, racial, and generational equity, fostering equality in the workplace, and advancing social protection.
The new agreement was signed during the 11th Brazil-ILO South-South and Trilateral Cooperation Meeting, held at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília. The high-level meeting aimed to discuss the future of the Brazil-ILO South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme, the main results from 15 years of partnership, and new cooperation prospects. Topics such as wage equality, the care economy, combating child labour, and modern slavery were also debated.
Acting Minister of Labour and Employment, Francisco Macena, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ana Virgínia Moreira Gomes, Director of the ILO Office for Brazil, Vinícius Pinheiro, and ABC’s Head of Trilateral South-South Cooperation with International Organizations, Cecília Malaguti, opened the event, reinforcing Brazil and the ILO's commitment to promoting decent work and social justice—essential priorities for addressing pressing challenges in the world of work.
In his speech, Francisco Macena emphasized that the cooperation agreement with the ILO will strengthen social dialogue among workers, the government, employers, and civil society, highlighting that this dialogue will be essential for Brazil to prepare for changes in the global labour market.
Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, noted that the ILO's tripartite system can be an important vehicle for South-South Cooperation because it provides a platform for dialogue and collaboration among governments, employers, and workers to address common challenges and promote sustainable and inclusive development.
“We are very pleased with the signing of this agreement, which will support the building of social justice. Brazil has been a key ally in the search for global solutions to labour challenges and in its commitment to social justice, as shown by being the first country to co-chair, alongside the ILO, the Global Coalition for Social Justice,” she said.
Vinícius Pinheiro highlighted the importance of the new initiative, stating that “the project seeks to create strategic international alliances that will also address critical issues such as the eradication of child and forced labour, occupational safety and health, gender and racial equity, and the promotion of employment and social protection.”
High-Level Panel
In the afternoon, the Minister of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger (MDS), Wellington Dias, opened a high-level panel, which included the participation of the Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs (MRE), Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha, ABC Director, Ambassador Ruy Pereira, Chief Public Prosecutor for Labour, José de Lima Ramos Pereira, and Minister of the Superior Labour Court (TST), Lelio Bentes Corrêa.
Wellington Dias highlighted that South-South cooperation is an important tool for strengthening and exchanging knowledge and resources among developing countries, with the ILO playing a key role in this parternship. He also emphasized the importance of care policies, a priority in his administration. "Care work is central to the survival of families and the well-being of individuals, as well as for the functioning of the economy and societies."
Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha, Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs, stressed the importance of the South-South cooperation mechanism. "For Brazil, South-South cooperation has become a key element for promoting sustainable development in all its dimensions over the past decades," she said.
“This cooperation modality has enabled the capacity building of national public institutions to interact with foreign counterparts and foster innovative partnership formats, facilitating the establishment of a global network within the ILO's mandate, reflecting Brazil's commitment to international solidarity and reducing inequalities, also in the world of work,” added da Rocha.
ABC Director, Ambassador Ruy Pereira, recalled that the Brazil-ILO Partnership Programme for South-South cooperation is a strategic collaboration between the Brazilian government and the ILO to promote sustainable development, decent work, and social justice. “The promotion of decent work remains a priority across the diverse and broad topics of trilateral cooperation projects with the ILO,” he said.
“We know that South-South cooperation plays a key role in tackling various challenges and vulnerabilities related to precarious labour conditions in the developing world, including the resurgence of child labour, the persistence of slavery-like labour, forced labour, and the general precariousness of work, in Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa.”
Thematic Dialogues
Throughout the day, experts and representatives from the Brazilian government, the ILO, and workers' and employers' organizations participated in thematic dialogues on the role of South-South cooperation in promoting social protection, gender equality, and fighting poverty.
Moderated by Anita Amorim, Head of the Emerging and Special Partnerships Unit, ILO's Department of Multilateral Partnerships and Development Cooperation, the debate on "Promoting Equal Pay and Care Policies" brought together the National Secretary of Care and Family Policy from the Ministry of Social Development, Laís Abramo, the Undersecretary of Labour Statistics and Studies from the MTE, Paula Montagner, and the Director of Work and Income Security from the Ministry of Women, Neuza Tito.
The perspectives of the Brazilian government and ILO on child labour and forced labour were discussed in a debate featuring Maria Cláudia Falcão, Coordinator of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work area of ILO Brazil, Philippe Vanhuynegem, Head of the Section on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work at ILO, Luiz Felipe Brandão de Mello, Secretary of Labour Inspection at MTE, Regis Aparecido Andrade, Director of the Department of Special Social Protection at MDS, Andréia Minduca, General Coordinator for Combating Slave Labour at the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC), and Luísa Carvalho Rodrigues, National Coordinator for the Fight Against Child Labour at the Public Labour Ministry (MPT).
Fifteen Years of Cooperation for Development
In 2024, the Brazil-ILO Programme celebrates 15 years. Over this period, more than US$27 million has been invested in 20 development cooperation projects, focusing on combating child and slave labour and promoting decent work, benefiting 40 countries across four continents.