African perspective at the 104th International Labour Conference

GENEVA (ILO News) - Aenaes Chapinga Chuma, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa held a press conference with African journalists to discuss the connections between the International Labour Conference and African priorities.

“African journalists in general are critical (…) and we regard them as strategic partners in disseminating information on development”, Chuma told ILO Radio.

The ILO Head of Africa underlined that the year 2015 is an important year for the International Labour Organization and Africa, with significant summits on the horizon including:

• The Financing for development Conference (13-16 July July 2015 in Addis Ababa) and an African Common position being developed,
• The ILO African Regional Meeting (30Nov – 04 Dec 2015 in Addis Ababa) which defines the parameters for engagement of the ILO in Africa for the next 10 years. It’s going to draw on the African Vision 2063, on the Ouagadougou +10 Plan of Action which is the African blueprints for development.
• The post-2015 development agenda (September 2015), and the Climate Change Summit (December 2015).

"For African journalists it’s very important to participate in these debates, to understand how they impact on their own countries and they inform their readers at home on what the issues are going forward. And to some extent encourage them to monitor and work with their leadership to ensure that the commitments made are adhered to", concluded Chuma.

Some 25 African journalists mostly from Nigeria, Zambia, Guinea, Niger and Tchad are covering the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.