Event

The ILO-IFC Better Work programme: improving working conditions and promoting competitiveness in global supply chains

Tuesday, 24 April 2012 - Webinar convened by the ILO and the UN Global Compact Office

Publication

ILO and Cooperatives - COOP NEWS No. 1, 2012 (Newsletter)

29 March 2012

ILO and Cooperatives, Issue No. 1, 2012 This issue provides information on the launch of International Year of Cooperatives 2012, in countries around the world. It also provides information on COOP activities including the roll out of My.COOP - Managing your agricultural cooperative, as well as on-going work in the implementation of ILO's Recommendation 193 on the Promotion of Cooperatives particularly in the areas of integrating the teaching of cooperatives in school curricula, promoting gender equality in cooperatives, and research based advocacy on cooperatives. Updates on CoopAFRICA and information on a new projects social enterprise project South Africa and technical input related to youth employment and cooperatives is also included.

Publication

Promoting Green Entrepreneurship. First lessons learned from the Youth Entrepreneurship Facility (YEF) Kenya, 2010 and 2011

28 March 2012

This report presents YEF’s activities in the field of green entrepreneurship promotion in Kenya by outlining key achievements and practical examples from the years 2010 and 2011. The lessons learned from those experiences allow formulating recommendations for future activities.

News

3rd Intersessional Meeting of UNCSD, UN Secretariat

26 March 2012

The third open-ended informal intersessional meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will be held on Monday, 26 March, and Tuesday, 27 March 2012, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber (NLB). As this meeting is an informal one, no formal list of speakers will be maintained or opened for pre-inscription. Members of permanent missions, United Nations staff, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations and major groups are invited to attend.

News

Eastern Europe and Central Asia should transition toward sustainable development now or pay more in the future, says UN report

23 March 2012

Eastern Europe and Central Asia need to remove fossil fuel subsidies, invest in ‘green’ jobs, and establish social protection floors to ensure a sustainable future. These were some of the findings from a new UN report “From Transition to Transformation”, launched in Istanbul, Turkey at the first Global Human Development Forum.

Brochure

The Green Jobs Programme of the ILO

15 March 2012

The 21st century faces two defining challenges: The first is to avert dangerous climate change and a deterioration of natural resources which would seriously jeopardize the quality of life of present and future generations. The second is to deliver social development and decent work for all. Green jobs and the promotion of the green economy have become the key drivers for achieving an economic and social development that is also environmentally sustainable.

Publication

Indonesia: An enabling environment for sustainable enterprises (EESE) assessment and a survey on workers’ perceptions

12 March 2012

Employment Sector - Employment Report No. 16

Publication

The enabling environment for sustainable enterprises in Barbados

12 March 2012

Employment Sector - Employment Report No. 18

Publication

Impact Insurance Research Paper #16: Impact of education on the willingness to pay for and knowledge of health insurance

01 March 2012

Research Paper #16 assesses the impact of educational intervention on knowledge, attitude and willingness-to-pay for health insurance using occupational solidarity. It also explores the views of relevant actors on occupational solidarity-based health insurance. Based on multiple regression analysis and experimental design, the combined results of the experiments indicate that the educational intervention has improved the knowledge and willingness to pay for health insurance among informal sector workers in Bangladesh.

Publication

Impact Insurance Research Paper #17: Weather insured savings accounts

01 March 2012

Research Paper #17 uses a laboratory experiment in Gujarat, India to assess consumers' relative valuations of savings versus insurance when planning for risky rainfall. This is done in an attempt to measure potential demand for a new type of financial product that combines savings and rainfall insurance, a Weather Insured Savings Account (WISA). Experiments reveal that many participants prefer pure insurance or pure savings to any mixture of the two, and that this preference is most pronounced among those who are more risk averse. The results suggest that the introduction of a WISA is unlikely to be successful and mixed saving, insurance products require further investigation.