By KUNA,
Geneva : The 97th Session of the International Labor Conference, which will run here till 13 June, opened today, with the participation of a high-level Kuwaiti delegation led by head of the Kuwaiti mission in Geneva Ambassador Dharar Abdul-Razzak Razzooqi. During the discussions in the plenary, tripartite delegates will address the latest ILO report on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories.
The opening plenary elected as its President Minister of Labour and Labour Development of Panama Edwin Salamin Jaen.
Salamin Jaen said following his elections that this conference brings together the world’s highest labour authorities to discuss, analyze and resolve the most serious problems affecting working people. “We must deal with important issues such as the promotion of rural employment for poverty reduction, the increase of productivity, employment growth and development, as well as strengthening the ILO’s capacity,” he added. The Conference elected as Vice-Presidents Algeria’s Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Tayeb Louh (Governments), President of the Employer’s Federation of Pakistan. Ashraf W. Tabani (Employers) and Secretary General of the National Confederation of Workers (CNTG) of Guinea Rabiatou Srah Diallo (Workers). The annual Conference draws some 3,000 delegates and advisers, including labor ministers and leaders of workers’ and employers’ organizations from the ILO’s 181 member States.
The Conference will discuss how to promote rural employment for poverty reduction, fundamental both to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and the ILO’s Decent Work agenda. Approximately 3.4 billion people, slightly under half of the world’s population, now live in rural areas.
In another general discussion, delegates will examine recent trends in skills development and forward-looking skills policies fostering a ‘virtuous circle’ in terms of higher productivity, more employment of better quality, income growth and development.
The Conference Committee on the Application of Standards will consider information and reports supplied by governments on the effect given to ILO Conventions and Recommendations. The Committee normally discusses some 25 cases of the application of standards by individual countries. The Committee will also have a special sitting to examine forced labour in Myanmar. It will discuss a general survey on the social dimension of public procurement and review ways to promote social sustainability of public procurement, and how ILO Convention No. 94 on Labour Clauses can be used to this end.
The Conference Plenary will discuss the ILO’s new Global Report on freedom of association on 6 June. The report, “Freedom of Association in practice: Lessons learned”, says that despite a global trend towards wider recognition of civil rights, millions of workers and employers around the world still lack fundamental rights.
Since 1919, the Conference has served as a major international forum for debate on social and labour questions of worldwide importance.