Opening address by the ILO Director-General to the International Labour Conference

Minister Edgar Moyo, President of the International Labour Conference,

Minister Juan Castillo, Government Vice-President,

Ms Hédia Arfaoui, Worker Vice-President,

Mr Hamidou Diop, Employer Vice-President, 

Honourable Ministers, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I welcome you all and extend to you my heartfelt and respectful greetings as well as my gratitude for your presence here at the opening of the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference.

Allow me to begin by congratulating the President and the Vice-Presidents on their election and by thanking them for agreeing to guide our work in this crucial exercise in tripartite democracy.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to refer to the latest ILO publications that provide some insights into the current trends in the world of work. The update of the World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) flagship report forecasts that 53 million jobs will be created in 2025, which is 7 million fewer than we had projected in October 2024, largely because of the slowdown in global growth against a backdrop of geoeconomic tensions – notably trade tensions.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has, in fact, revised its global growth forecasts for 2025 downwards, from 3.3 to 2.8 per cent.

In addition, the ILO has just published a new study on artificial intelligence (AI), introducing for the first time an exposure index measuring the level of vulnerability of different occupations to AI. Overall, a quarter of jobs or activities are highly exposed. Our research shows and confirms that today’s highly digitized jobs, such as computer programming, software development and jobs in finance and the media, are increasingly vulnerable, even though repetitive tasks continue to be the most exposed. I invite you to draw on these two reports, which are available on our website and confirm the central role that must be given to employment and decent work in our national and multilateral agendas. The reports also reaffirm the strategic importance of the ILO's mandate in a world that is undergoing profound transformation.

Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,

We are going through turbulent times for multilateral institutions like ours. I understand the sense of apprehension that uncertainty about the future of multilateralism brings. You know that we cannot afford to be nostalgic for some romanticized, golden age of the past. Rather, we must root ourselves in a deep understanding of our distinctive constitutional raison d’être and sustained contributions in the world. As an institution, we must have the courage, the humility, the ability to listen and to adjust, and the vision necessary to move resolutely forward. The current context imposes on us a duty to reform: we must reform to become more effective, while seeking ways to be more efficient.

In the context of this reform of multilateralism in general, and of the United Nations system in particular, our reform at the ILO has a twofold imperative: we have to optimize the efficiency of our operations, while also strengthening our capacity to support our constituents on the ground in areas such as the fundamental principles and rights at work and provide technical support in the field alongside Member States and the social partners.

Our standard-setting mandate is more relevant than ever. It is not just a matter of developing international labour standards and ensuring their implementation and supervision; there is also a vital need to ensure a level playing field in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing global economy. We can, and we must, act decisively and consistently to promote social justice by striking a better balance between economic, social and environmental considerations.

This requires both consistency and creativity, two qualities that we constantly demonstrate, including, to take one specific example, in the research work and guidance on international labour standards that we have made available to our constituents to help them take better account of labour rights and other social considerations in new bilateral and/or regional trade agreements.

Excellencies, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Your Conference will examine an important draft resolution in preparation for the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Doha in November. This is an opportunity to underscore the strides that you, tripartite delegates, have made to inform the vision of decent work for social justice that is infusing the draft resolution. This resolution embodies a collective ambition: expanding universal access to social protection, with a clear aim – increasing social protection coverage by at least two (2) percentage points per year.

Consistent with our mandate under the Programme of Action of the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development, our Organization stands ready to renew its role on implementation of the results of the Doha Summit going forward, using the richness of our tripartite dialogue as a basis.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Permit me now to turn to our programme and budget, which the Governing Body recommended in March for adoption by the Conference at the level of zero nominal growth. I would be grateful if you could show the spirit of responsibility which you have always demonstrated, in order to ensure a smooth adoption of the budget and to enable the ILO to continue to fulfil its mandate.

It is time to be rigorous. We must show the resolve and strength of purpose necessary to identify the efficiency measures required to reduce our expenses, with the surgical precision necessary to make us stronger, by adopting a human-centred approach which attaches unambiguous importance to social dialogue with the staff, in order to build a more agile Organization, devoid of any attempt to turn in on itself, but always with an acute sense of humanism.

Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

So now I turn to my report to the Conference this year, on our evidence-based approach to engaging with vital issues such as jobs. My report establishes that jobs cannot be reduced to a mere outcome of economic growth. Rather, jobs must be an active component of such growth. Jobs, workers’ protection and economic growth must be understood to be mutually reinforcing. Moreover, promotion of inclusive economic growth, workers’ rights and robust institutions relies on the defence of democratic values in the world of work.

Allow me, as we deal with the examination of the agenda items for this session, to acknowledge the work of our impartial system of normative control, reflected in the relevant report. I wish also to mention our grounded innovation seen in the further amendments before the General Affairs Committee to the Code of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. These amendments seek in particular to ensure that seafarers’ right to shore leave is effective, and to prevent violence and harassment on board, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.

The agenda of this Conference session is replete with other questions, not all of which I am able to mention. Permit me nevertheless to underscore the importance of what is set to be the groundbreaking first standard-setting discussion on decent work in the platform economy. It offers one fine example of our institutional commitment to engage in rigorous, respectful and constructive tripartite dialogue on issues that are critical to a human-centred future, fully aware of the opportunities presented by technological progress.

Finally, Mr President, I wish to conclude by thanking you for the abiding support that you all provide to the Global Coalition for Social Justice. We will succeed in promoting fairer globalization by moving together beyond the institutional silos of the past. This year, our ambition is clear and simple: to review with you the progress made in all 14 priority areas of action defined in the context of the Coalition.

I wish you all a fruitful 2025 Conference session, one that brings hope.

I thank you.