ILO chief to visit Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia

ADDIS ABABA – The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, will make his first official visit to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region from 4 to 12 December 2013.

During his trip to Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia, Ryder is expected to meet with political leaders, as well as with prominent social and development partners, and senior representatives of other UN agencies. He will visit ILO projects and talk to beneficiaries at their workplaces.

In Tanzania, the Director-General will address the opening session of the National Employment Forum, a tripartite conference taking place on 5 December in Dar es Salaam. He will also participate in the inauguration of the new premises of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) and attend the 2013 ceremony of the Association of Tanzanian Employers (ATE). The following day he will take part in a “Youth Dialogue on Employment and Social Protection”. On December 7th, Ryder will meet with local dignitaries and visit youth projects in Zanzibar.

The ILO chief will arrive in Mozambique on 8 December, where he is scheduled to hold consultations with the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Planning and Development, the Minister of Finance, and the ILO’s social partners. He will visit the Port of Maputo to highlight efforts to improve social dialogue and will attend the launch of an ILO/IMF working paper on social protection.

On 10 December, the Director-General will arrive in Zambia to take part in an open panel discussion on the “Challenges and Aspirations of Young Zambians”. He will also sign Zambia’s second Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) and launch the new Zambia Jobs Portal.

On 12 December, Ryder will promote two ILO-led joint UN programmes in the country: the Zambia Green Jobs in the Construction Sector, and the Rural Youth Employment Programme. He will end his week-long trip with a Dialogue on More and Better Jobs in the Zambian Mining Sector.

Last May, Ryder attended the official ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) - African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, where he reaffirmed the ILO’s readiness to support Africa’s renaissance and socio-economic agenda.

For further information, interview requests and photo ops, please contact: Guebray Berhane, ILO Regional Office for Africa: [email protected], Tel: + 251911218115 – www.ilo.org/africa