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ILO Governing Body concludes its 346th session

The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization considered a range of issues, including the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situations in Bangladesh, Belarus and Venezuela.

Press release | 11 November 2022
© M. Crozet / ILO
GENEVA (ILO News) – The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) concluded its 346th session on 10 November with decisions related to the social and solidarity economy, the platform economy, multinational enterprises, as well as a number of country cases.

The session was ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo’s first Governing Body meeting since taking office at the beginning of October. In his report to the members the Director-General called for a “Global Coalition for Social Justice”, to face the challenges currently disrupting the world of work.

The Coalition will require the participation of a wide range of stakeholders and will work to “facilitate and strengthen collaboration and collective action … [and] serve as a framework for policy coherence on social justice at the wider multilateral level and beyond,” he said.

The Governing Body, the executive body of the Organization, endorsed a strategy and action plan on decent work and the social and solidarity economy (SEE). The action plan includes a wide range of policy and capacity building measures to support an enabling environment for SSE entities that will contribute to reducing poverty and inequalities, support inclusive societies and participatory governance, and environmentally sustainable economies.

Five years after the adoption of the revised Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, members took stock of progress. It requested the Office to scale up support for the constituents to allow for better use of the Declaration, which, in recent years has helped to harness foreign direct investment, international trade and international production processes, including supply chains, while promoting decent work.

Following the Meeting of Experts on decent work in the platform economy (Geneva, 10–14 October 2022), which addressed the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly growing area of economic activity, the Governing Body decided to place on the agenda of the 113th Session (2025) of the International Labour Conference (ILC) an item on decent work in the platform economy and requested the Office to present to its 347th Session (March 2023) a normative gap analysis.

The Governing Body also considered developments under cases brought before it under Articles 24 and 26 of the ILO Constitution.

Regarding Bangladesh, having examined recent progress the Governing Body requested the Government to report again on the implementation of the road map of actions to address all outstanding issues, at its 347th Session. It decided to defer the decision on further action in respect of the complaint to that session.

On Belarus, the Governing Body deplored the lack of progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the 2004 Commission of Inquiry and urged the Government of Belarus to ensure full respect for freedom of association and to immediately release trade union activists arrested for participating in peaceful assemblies or for exercising their civil liberties pursuant to their legitimate trade union activities. The Director-General was requested to submit to the 347th Governing Body session a document containing all possible measures to secure compliance by the Government of Belarus with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry. The delegates also decided to place on the agenda of the 111th International Labour Conference, in 2023, an item concerning measures under article 33 of the ILO Constitution.

The Governing Body reiterated its call upon the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression and withdraw its troops from Ukraine, and continued to express its unwavering support for the tripartite constituents in Ukraine. The Governing Body asked the Director-General to monitor and take appropriate steps to safeguard the labour rights of workers and support the sustainability of enterprises in Ukraine, to expand resource mobilization to address their needs. The delegates also welcomed the ongoing discussions on the opening of a Country Office in Kyiv. The Director-General was requested to report on these developments to the Governing Body at its next session, in March.

Turning to Venezuela, the Governing Body recognized progress made while reiterating its call to the Government to accept and fully implement the recommendations of the 2019 Commission of Inquiry. Delegates requested the Director-General to submit to the March 2023 session a further report on any developments concerning the Social Dialogue Forum and the implementation of the agreed action plan to give effect to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry.

The Governing Body’s 346th session began on 31st October. Its next session will be held 13-23 March 2023.>

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