Why the World Should be Watching the ILO
Today, the latest Governing Body (GB) of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) opens in Switzerland. For those of you not familiar with the ILO, it is the only tripartite organization within the UN system, meaning governments, workers and employers each have an equal say and work towards consensus on the world of work’s many difficult and uncertain issues. Representatives from around the world are gathering today in Geneva at a time that could not be more challenging or complex.
The current Governing Body is particularly significant, as it represents the first time in a decade that the ILO will have new leadership at the helm. ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo, the first representative of an African nation to helm the 103-year-old organization, opened the 346th session today.
DG Houngbo has also just released the 10th version of ILO Monitor on the World of Work, which documents the troubling reality of high inflation, tightening monetary policy and increasing debt burden around the globe. In addition, the spillover effects of the war in Ukraine are turning into a flood, with increasing food and energy prices contributing to growing food insecurity and poverty, reversing a trajectory that had seen progress made for so many years.
The issues of this GB are multiple and complex, including how the ILO will move forward on decent work in supply chains, which expands upon the successful consensus Expert Meeting held at the end of June. The ILO must play a leading role in supply chain work and the GB will determine over the next two weeks how the ILO will proceed, with ramifications for businesses, governments and workers for years to come.
Another topic will be the challenging issue of the platform economy, where an Expert Meeting a few weeks ago failed to achieve a consensus outcome and will now be left to battle among GB members. Highly contentious, but critically important, there are constituents who feel that many aspects of platform work are not adequately covered by current international labour standards, and it will be a discussion to watch closely. GB Members will also discuss the MNE Declaration at five years, the only ILO instrument that provides guidance to enterprises on social policy and inclusive, responsible and sustainable workplace practices. Other highlights of this GB will include OSH as the fifth fundamental principle and right at work and the important strategy to address inequalities in the world of work.
DG Houngbo truly needs to be the “man for the moment” for these challenging topics - as well as others on the agenda - and I am looking forward to following closely over the next two weeks. As the former Deputy Director-General for Policy of the ILO, a few pieces of advice that I humbly share with DG Houngbo as he begins his first Governing Body:
BE BOLD – Difficult times call for difficult measures. The ILO has many experts and areas of expertise, but this expertise must be harnessed towards a common vision and most importantly, managed towards accountability of this vision. DG Houngbo is entering his new role with a definitive election and a strong mandate, and I look forward to seeing him focus on bold, transformational change. This includes his stressed importance of putting economic experts where they are needed most—on the ground. The ILO should have their best people in the toughest climates in order to truly support Member States. Saying
this is easy, executing it will be hard. Bold action in this regard will go a long way in strengthening the work of the ILO around the world.
TAKE DECISIVE DECISIONS AND DEFEND THEM – As I have often said, there is a “beauty” and a “beast” to tripartism. It is incredibly difficult to thread the needle and meet the desires of all constituents. In addressing multiple crises, DG Houngbo has many tough issues ahead of him. By being engaged and acting with urgency, he should not hesitate to make definitive decisions and be open and transparent in defending them with all constituents. This is the mark of a true leader and traits that DG Houngbo has shown in the past as both the Prime Minister of Togo and the former President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). He will need these skills now more than ever.
INVEST IN WOMEN – It may be hard to believe, but previously, the leading UN agency on world of work issues did not even have a handful of women on its senior management team. I know, as I was one of the few women in that handful. I am incredibly heartened that DG Houngbo has indicated that he will prioritize women’s leadership not only within the ILO, but also the investment in women in all ILO programming. As today’s Monitor shows, progress in reducing the gender gap is flatlining, and at its current rate, it could take more than 60 years to close the gender gap. I look forward to DG Houngbo emphasizing equal access to employment, equal pay, access to social protection and addressing the issue of positions of leadership within the organization and “walking the talk” by showing that investing in women for the future of work is essential.
PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR PARTNER’S SHOES – DG Houngbo is committed to creating “A Coalition for Social Justice” by enhancing work with other multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank and the IMF. There is good groundwork in the area of social protection to capitalize on, but the ILO will need to strengthen selling the value of integrating social justice into other multilateral agencies’ work in order to obtain truly transformational outcomes. It takes “two to tango” and it will be essential that DG Houngbo uses his first months to prioritize and invigorate these opportunities. The ILO was created for times of crisis, and it is now more important than ever that the multilateral system joins together for socially sustainable anti-crisis frameworks that fully integrate social justice dimensions. His ability to collaborate with other leaders effectively within the UN system will be essential.
As the ILO Governing Body begins its critical work of the 346th session, the stakes could not be higher. Although the discussions will be difficult, history has shown that the ILO rises to the occasion during the most challenging of times. I am rooting for the success of DG Houngbo and the ILO team as they come together with Member States to address and strengthen multiple policy approaches in the world of work during this time of unprecedented crisis. We are all counting on you.
Martha Newton is the Founder and Principal, Fifth Fundamental. She was previously the Deputy Director-General of the ILO.
