1. About the ILO
2. Topics
3. Regions
4. Meetings and events
5. Publications
6. Research
7. Labour standards
8. Statistics and databases

NINTH ITEM ON THE AGENDA
 

PROGRAMME AND BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR  2000-01
VOLUME 2	PROGRAMME DESCRIPTIONS AND BUDGETARY INFORMATION

PMO.1. The table above groups together under a single item the resources presented in the Programme and Budget for 1998-99 under 10 (International Labour Conference), 20 (Governing Body), 30 (Major Regional Meetings), 210 (Legal Services) and 220 (Relations, Meetings and Document Services).

Description of changes in resource levels

PMO.2. The total level of resources proposed for this item has been reduced in real terms by some $195,000 in comparison with the biennium 1998-99. The principal reasons for this decrease are: a reduction in the resources necessary for holding the regional meetings (one of which will take place in Geneva) and cost savings resulting from the introduction of new technology in servicing the International Labour Conference. These reductions have been partially offset by an increase in the cost of servicing the International Labour Conference due to the reintroduction of the Provisional Record.

PMO.3. Programme descriptions for the biennium 2000-01 follow. 

10. International Labour Conference

10.1. Two ordinary sessions of the Conference will be held in the biennium 2000-01 and certain preparatory work will have to be undertaken in 2001 for the session of the Conference to be held in 2002. The Governing Body decided at its 270th (November 1997) Session to reinstate the production of the trilingual Provisional Record so that the statements made in plenary sittings during the discussions of the reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General would be available during each Conference session, and subsequently published several weeks after the adjournment of the Conference.

10.2. The agenda of the 88th Session (2000) of the Conference, as determined by the Governing Body at its 271st (March 1998) Session, will be as follows:

Standing items

1. Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and the Director-General
2. Programme and budget proposals and other financial questions
3. Information and reports on the application of Conventions and Recommendations

Items placed on the agenda by the Conference or the Governing Body

1. Revision of the Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952 (No. 103) and Recommendation, 1952 (No. 95) (second discussion)
2. Human resources training and development: Vocational guidance and vocational training (general discussion)
3. Safety and health in agriculture (first discussion)
4. Withdrawal of Conventions Nos. 31, 46, 51, 61 and 66.

10.3. The agenda of the 89th ordinary Session (2001) of the Conference will include the same standing items I, II and III as in 2000, a second discussion of item VI and such new items as the Governing Body may determine in March 1999. Without in any way prejudging the Governing Body's decision, it has been assumed for budgetary purposes that the Conference agenda will include a total of three technical items in the year 2001 and again in 2002.

10.4. Material and staffing arrangements. Material arrangements (such as the rental of rooms at the Palais des Nations, moving expenses and transportation services between the Palais and the ILO building) will be made for a Conference session of 17 calendar days in each year of the biennium, as well as arrangements for interpreters and other temporary staff to assist in servicing the Conference.

10.5. Printing of reports, records of proceedings and other documents. The number of reports to be printed externally in 2000 and 2001 in relation to the agenda items for the 88th and 89th ordinary Sessions of the Conference is estimated at 116 volumes, as in 1998-99. Current practice with respect to languages of documents will continue.

20. Governing Body

20.1. It is anticipated that the Governing Body will hold four full sessions and two shorter sessions during the biennium 2000-01. The direct costs to the Office of holding these sessions include: the travel expenses and allowances of the Employer and Worker members (14 employers and 14 workers) and deputy members (19 employers and 19 workers) of the Governing Body, for whom the ILO pays such costs; and the representation allowance payable to the Chairman of the Governing Body.

30. Major Regional Meetings

30.1. It is expected that two regional meetings will be held during the biennium, in the Europe and Central Asia region in 2000 and in the Asia and Pacific region in 2001. Following the experience gained during the Asian Regional Meeting in 1997, there was a general consensus that the duration of the meeting was insufficient. The regional meetings to be held in the biennium 2000-01 have therefore been provided for based on a duration of four days. As in the past, the regional meetings will be held under the auspices of the respective regional offices (Geneva and Bangkok) and a report will be adopted at the end of the meeting.

30.2. The provision made for each regional meeting is based on the decision that most of the work will be carried out by the staff of the regional offices. The provision for interpretation will allow simultaneous group meetings of governments, employers and workers. There will be no Governing Body delegation. The costs for each meeting include: resources for printing a single report in five languages (English, French, Spanish, German and Russian) for the European Regional Meeting and in five languages (English, French, Russian, Arabic and Chinese) for the Asian Regional Meeting; interpretation in five languages (English, French, Spanish, German and Russian) for the European Regional Meeting and in four languages (English, Russian, Arabic and Chinese) for the Asian Regional Meeting; equipment and services, such as telephones, simultaneous interpretation and sound equipment; auxiliary staff, such as receptionists, messengers, telephonists, security staff and cleaners; document reproduction equipment; local transport, such as buses for delegates; and costs related to ILO staff.

210. Legal Services

210.1. The principal clients of this programme are the constitutional bodies of the Organization, the various departments of the Office (including its external offices) and the Turin Centre. They need to have at their disposal the necessary tools and advice to permit them to function in accordance with established rules and procedures and take decisions in the interest of the Organization that respect any applicable legal provisions. The departments of the Office look to this programme for advice and guidance to ensure that action taken by them is legally sound in relation not only to the legal texts of the Organization but also to international law and any other law that may be relevant to the particular case.

210.2. Particular needs in 2000-01 will relate to the follow-up to Part II of the Director-General's Report to the 85th Session of the Conference on The ILO, standard setting and globalization, entitled "More targeted standards for a greater impact" and the establishment and review of the operation of the follow-up procedure to the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The programme: (a) proposes and carries out the preparatory work for any necessary improvements to the Organization's legal infrastructure; (b) provides interpretations as well as advice on procedures to be followed; (c) assists the departments of the Office and the Turin Centre in implementing their programmes with full respect for the applicable legal rules; and (d) protects the Organization from legal action against it and from unforeseen exposure to legal liabilities.

210.3. The objectives are:

• the smooth functioning of the constitutional bodies of the Organization and the Office;

• the highest possible standard of drafting for the texts of new Conventions and Recommendations; and

• an improved procedure for standard setting, so as to ensure that new standards are more relevant and have a greater impact, through the introduction of changes in the procedures for the selection of subjects for standard setting and for the preparation of standards.

210.4. The main activities include:

(a) legal work relating to: the application, interpretation or amendment of the Constitution of the Organization, the Standing Orders of the International Labour Conference, the Governing Body, regional and sectoral meetings and other ILO meetings, and the financial regulations and rules; the reform of the structure and functioning of all ILO bodies; the consideration of questions concerning the status of the Organization and privileges and immunities in the various countries where the ILO has established offices and where its officials are resident, and the legal aspects of cooperation between the ILO and other international organizations; credentials questions at the Conference and at regional meetings, and preparation of the delegates list for the Conference and these meetings.

(b) the drafting and preparation of official texts of international labour Conventions and Recommendations, as well as other instruments prepared under ILO auspices; the examination of questions raised regarding the ratification and interpretation of Conventions and Recommendations; the preparation of work on legal issues for the Governing Body's Committee on Legal Issues and International Labour Standards and its Working Party on the Revision of the Standards, follow-up on recommendations adopted by the Governing Body; and work towards the streamlining of the standards-setting process and the consolidation of existing standards;

(c) legal work involving personnel questions, including the drafting, revision and application of the Staff Regulations and other relevant rules; advice to the Personnel Department on complaints from officials under the Staff Regulations and representation of the Organization in cases brought against it before the Administrative Tribunal; involvement in the determination of claims for compensation in case of occupational injury or illness, and participation in United Nations system meetings on issues of common concern and advising on common system legal issues, such as pensions and the revision of the Statute of the ILO Administrative Tribunal;

(d) other legal work of a commercial or technical nature, such as reviewing contracts for services and materials and relating to the premises of external offices, other real property questions and copyright issues; reviewing agreements with donors and governments for technical cooperation projects and programmes, particularly in the context of ILO-IPEC; handling disputes and, if necessary, representing the Organization in settlement procedures;

(e) legal advice and other inputs for the day-to-day functioning of the Office, including the assignment of staff to serve on internal committees in such areas as accountability, archives, contracts, and compensation; and

(f) legal work in the above cases related to the Turin Centre for which the Centre contributes.

220. Relations, Meetings and Document Services

220.1. Work on relations, meetings and documents services includes: servicing all ILO conferences and meetings, including translating, processing, printing and distributing documents and providing interpretation services; and maintaining official relations with member governments. A major goal during the biennium will be the development and implementation of a new strategy, based on new technologies, to improve the efficiency of the translation, production and distribution of documents and publications in hard copy and electronic formats.

220.1. Departmental management

220.2. Work organization, systems and methods. Improving working procedures and production methods responds to the Governing Body's calls for cost-effective and efficient service and support to ILO conferences and meetings. The improvements introduced will result in easier access by constituents and other users to ILO reports and documents, increased productivity of linguistic staff (through improved access to references and terminology) and improved forecasting and planning of the use of staff resources.

220.2. Official relations

220.3. The holding of the International Labour Conference, the Governing Body sessions and other types of meetings require thorough planning, organization and coordination of Office-wide operations and servicing of such meetings, as well as the provision of protocol and interpretation services. Official relations responsibilities also include: official correspondence and production of circular letters, including convocation of participants, the Official Bulletin and the coordination, editing and occasional drafting of Governing Body documents.

220.3. Official documentation

220.4. Constituents attending ILO meetings and conferences require well-written and presented documentation translated into the ILO's working or official languages, as appropriate. Documents need to be drafted and translated in a timely fashion to enable distribution well in advance of each meeting. Emphasis will be placed on minimizing the related costs, within the constraints of quality and timeliness.

220.5. All reports, documents, abstracts and other texts required for the meetings and conferences convened by the Governing Body are edited, translated and revised in English, French and Spanish and also, as the case may be, in Arabic, Chinese, German and Russian. Additional tasks include the translation of articles and notes for the International Labour Review, the translation and editing of major reports, such as World Employment, and the translation of various other documents, including circulars, replies to ILO questionnaires and materials received in languages other than English, French or Spanish. Referencing, documentation and terminology support will continue, including the further development of the ILOTERM linguistic database.

220.4. Document production and distribution

220.6. All documents produced by the Office for meetings and conferences, as well as periodicals and publications, need to be properly typed and well presented, printed and distributed in hard copy and electronic formats. Emphasis will be placed on the state-of-the-art techniques for the production and publication of documents with a view to achieving more rapid and higher quality production while minimizing the related costs.