ILO Director-General Guy Ryder meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

The meeting begins a three-day visit, Ryder’s first official visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Media advisory | 20 April 2018
RAMALLAH (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Guy Ryder has begun his first official visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) since assuming office with a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ryder, accompanied by ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat, met with Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday, to discuss challenges facing the Palestinian Territory labour market, and means of strengthening ILO support to the Palestinian Authority and to Palestinian worker and employer representatives in order to promote decent work in the Palestinian Territory.

The meeting begins a three-day visit to the West Bank which will include meetings with the Minister of Labour Mamoun Abu Shahla, Foreign Minister Riad Malki and other government officials, as well as with Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions Secretary-General Shaher Saad, and Chairman of the Palestinian Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Khalil Rizk. Ryder will also meet with UN Special Coordinator Nikolay Mladenov and other senior UN officials.

On Saturday 21 April at 10:00 am, the ILO Director-General and Regional Director will take part in a signing event at the Ministry of Labour in Ramallah, to launch a new Decent Work Programme for the Palestinian Territory. The Programme will set the framework for promoting employment and livelihoods, strengthening labour market governance and labour rights, and increasing social security and social protection.

The event will be immediately followed by a press conference at the Ministry.

Also on Saturday 21 April at 11:30, the ILO Director General and Regional Director will officially open the Palestinian Social Security Corporation (PSSC) at the PSSC office in Ramallah.


The PSSC is legally charged by the new Palestinian Social Security Law to administer the Palestinian Territory’s first comprehensive social security system to cover all private sector workers and their family members.

For further information, please contact:

Rasha El Shurafa, +972 54-800-0964, elshurafa@ilo.org
Or
Salwa Kanaana at kanaana@ilo.org