Articles

December 2003

  1. Xth African Regional Meeting: Decent work for Africa’s development: Signs of hope

    01 December 2003

    Half of Africa’s population, over 300 million people, live in extreme poverty on the equivalent of US$1 a day or less – the highest intra-regional poverty level and the widest gap between rich and poor in the world. Strategies for reducing such poverty and closing this gap through a job-centred development agenda are the main items on the table at the ILO 10th African Regional Meeting, on 2 to 5 December, in Addis Ababa. What are the key issues facing Africa today and what can be done about them?

September 2003

  1. Application of standards: Committee considers Belarus, Colombia, Myanmar, other developments

    01 September 2003

    As part of ILO efforts to end the use of forced labour in Myanmar, the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards had a special sitting following up on measures taken in the context of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution. The Committee also discussed the events which have taken place since its December 2002 session, including the appointment of a facilitator for complaints of forced labour, and a recent agreement on a plan of action to eradicate forced labour.

  2. Working out of poverty: Making jobs the objective

    01 September 2003

    Work is the best route out of poverty," ILO Director-General Juan Somavia told this June's International Labour Conference. He renewed the ILO pledge to bring decent work to all parts of the globe.

  3. In Nepal, micro-insurance helps the poor cope with health needs

    01 September 2003

    In Nepal, the ILO's "STEP" programme (Strategies and Tools against Social Exclusion and Poverty) is working with local partners to develop health micro-insurance schemes and improve access to health care for workers in the informal economy.

  4. For millions of migrants, a new Convention

    01 September 2003

    The UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families entered into force on 1 July 2003. More than 10 years in the making, the new Convention represents a major step in efforts to improve the lives of the world's vast mobile workforce. ILO senior migration specialist Patrick Taran, who instigated the global campaign for ratification, tells World of Work what the Convention does, who it concerns and how it will make a difference in peoples' lives.

  5. New ILO study highlights labour trends worldwide: US productivity up, Europe improves ability to create jobs

    01 September 2003

    As US and global productivity accelerate, does this mean the global economic slowdown in jobs creation is over? The new third edition of Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) ( see note 1), finds that a rise in productivity and employment may be the only way to reduce poverty.

  6. ILC91 Annual ILO Conference tackles new social agenda

    01 September 2003

    Fighting poverty, providing seafarers with new identity documents, and a variety of measures aimed at improving the world of work were among the highlights of the 91st International Labour Conference in June. Delegates held an impassioned debate over working conditions, and adopted radical new measures designed to improve workplace security and safety.

  7. ILO Recommendation 193 one year after: The revival of the cooperative idea

    01 September 2003

    This June marked the first anniversary of the ILO's initiative to encourage the idea of cooperative business. ILO Recommendation 193, for the Promotion of Cooperatives, was formally adopted last year at the International Labour Conference. In the months since, staff in the ILO COOP team have worked with governments and coop bodies to help translate the Recommendation into practice at the national level. Journalist Andrew Bibby reports on the results of their work.

June 2003

  1. In today's world, journalists face greater dangers

    01 June 2003

    Embedded, but not immune: along with today’s faster pace of war and conflict, comes faster news - and sometimes, faster injury and death. Lee Woodyear, a former Human Rights Officer for the International Federation of Journalists and a freelance journalist, examines how bringing today’s news into living rooms and computer screens gets ever more dangerous, and what some organizations are doing about it

  2. ILO: Work hazards kill millions, cost billions

    01 June 2003

    Workers, employers and governments are marking the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. In a new report, the ILO says the annual cost to the global economy is a staggering 1.25 thousand billion (trillion). This report outlines the occupational safety and health crisis and explains how it can be dealt with.