6th June 2018
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D. will today address the Plenary of the 107th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva on the subject of Ireland’s place in the history of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and also gender equality, a central theme of the Conference.
Speaking prior to the Conference, Minister Breen said, “Ireland’s Action Plan for Jobs recognises the importance of enhancing female participation in the workforce which has the potential to address the growing need for skills and talent and to deliver significant social and gender equality benefits.
Ireland’s position on the International Labour Organization’s governing body gives us a chance to shape its agenda as it prepares to celebrate its centenary next year.”
Minister Breen also highlighted that he was looking forward to President Michael D. Higgins’ keynote address to the Conference’s flagship World of Work Summit on Thursday 7th June
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Note for the editors
International Labour Conference
The 107th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO), is taking place between the 28th May and the 8th June in Geneva. Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen T.D.; CEO of IBEC, Danny McCoy and General Secretary of ICTU, Patricia King, will be in attendance as part of a high level Irish tripartite delegation to the conference.
As part of the conference, the ILC is holding its flagship World of Work Summit on June 7th with President Michael D Higgins as keynote speaker. This summit will discuss the importance of employment and decent work for peace and resilience, with a specific focus on the ground and on partnerships that can achieve real results. It will address the challenges of sustaining peace by providing opportunities in the world of work, especially for young people.
Ireland’s tripartite delegation, led by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, includes representatives of Irish Aid, the Department of Justice and Equality, ICTU, and IBEC. Our delegation is contributing to technical committees on matters such as violence and harassment in the world of work, enhancing development cooperation and attainment of UN sustainable development goals and social dialogue.
Titulaire (full) membership of Governing Body
The ILO was the first international organisation which Ireland joined. In June 2017, for the first time in our 94-year membership, Ireland was among the 18 countries elected to a Titulaire (with full speaking and voting rights) seat on the Governing Body of the ILO. The seat will be held for three years and will coincide with the ILO’s centenary in 2019.
Ireland's term on the Governing Body coincides with an active and ambitious period in the ILO as its Centenary year of 2019 approaches. To mark the occasion, the ILO is implementing the following seven Centenary Initiatives; Future of Work, End to Poverty, Women at Work, Green Initiative, Standards Initiative, Enterprise Initiative and Governance Initiative. At this year’s ILC, the report of the head of the ILO focuses on the Women at Work Initiative and addresses the obstacles to gender equality at work and in society. It also suggests how they can be tackled in a new push for equality.
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