Amman, Jordan (ILO News) The ILO and its partners in Jordan joined countries around the globe on Thursday (April 11) in celebrating the UN agency’s 100th anniversary. 
 
An event, held under the patronage of Jordan’s Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, brought together high-level delegates, including government agencies, trade unions, and employers’ organizations, as well as civil society representatives and international partners. It featured folk dancing performances and the unveiling of a social justice-themed mosaic. 
 
The event was streamed live alongside similar presentations from other ILO offices around the world and highlighted some of Jordan’s recent successes at promoting decent work and social justice for workers, while also addressing some of the challenges that lie ahead in the context of the Future of Work.
 

“The ILO is with you here today as part of our 24-hour global event because we want to recognise the important role Jordan has played and continues to play in the agency,” ILO’s Deputy Director General Greg Vines told guests at the event in Jordan. “We want to tell you, that we are at your side and that you can count on us to support your efforts towards improving the social dialogue in the country; we are with you to support the creation of decent jobs and we are with you to improve social protection for all – and to ensure that no one is left behind,” Vines continued. 
 
The event was attended by Lukas Gasser, Ambassador of Switzerland, a founding Member State of the ILO and host country of the agency’s headquarters.
 
“It is with great honour that I address you during the centenary celebrations of the International Labour Organization,” said Gasser. “As mentioned in the ILO Constitution, its establishment reflects the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it is based on social justice…today this assertion remains as valid and important as it was one hundred years ago.” 
 
“The need to create and sustain dignified employment opportunities for all is rightfully a priority of our respective governments. It seems important to me to highlight today that this can only be achieved by promoting inclusive dialogue which considers the needs and interests of all parties – government, employers, and workers.” 
 

Jordan’s Minister of Labour Samir Murad, together with Mr. Vines, Director General of the Jordan Chamber of Industry Maher Al Mahrouq and President of the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions Mazen Maaytah unveiled a mosaic crafted by people with disabilities from the Syrian refugee and Jordanian host communities, who were trained through interventions of the ILO Programme of Support to the Jordan Compact, which supports economic growth, job creation and quality service delivery in Jordan.
 
“We in Jordan highly value the strong relation and partnership (that we have) with the ILO for over half a century,” said Jordan’s Minister of Labour Samir Murad. “The Jordanian Government, in cooperation with the ILO and the social partners implemented the region’s first Decent Work Country Programme in 2006, covering different areas of work, including employment promotion, labour rights, social protection, social dialogue, pay equity, inspection as well as combating child labour, among others."
 
Jordan has a long history of collaboration with the ILO. It has strived, through the common commitments of the Government, workers' and employers' organisations, to promote decent work, social justice and equity.
 
The ILO and Jordan recently pledged to further promote decent work through the implementation of the country’s third Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP). The Programme supports national initiatives to promote decent work and strengthen national capacity to mainstream decent work in social and economic policies.