2007

1. 11th African Regional Meeting (Addis Ababa, 24-27 April 2007) - Africa: Community-based micro-insurance for universal health coverage

   24 April 2007

   Almost 90 per cent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is not insured against the risk of illness or accident. In order to help the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups cope with life's contingencies, social protection is a powerful means of reducing poverty, emphasizes the report prepared for the Eleventh African Regional Meeting.

2. 

   11th African Regional Meeting (Addis Ababa, 24-27 April 2007): From child soldier to entrepreneur

   20 April 2007

   Potentially one of the richest countries in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo is currently one of the poorest. Eighty per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day.

3. 

   11th African Regional Meeting (Addis Ababa, 24-27 April 2007): The power of dialogue: When words combine with actions

   20 April 2007

   The old adage goes "actions speak louder than words", but when it comes to governance, words are essential. A new report prepared for the ILO's African Regional Meeting on 24-27 April, shows how an ILO project targeting seven enterprises in two areas with high unemployment and HIV/AIDS combined skills development with social dialogue to improve performance and meet the challenge of growing textile imports.

4. 

   Corporate social responsibility in the IT sector: Is it responsible enough?

   13 April 2007

   Multinational companies played a key role in attracting foreign direct investment, generating employment, providing training and raising wages in the IT sector worldwide. But there are also considerable social and labour challenges arising from their operations.

5. 

   Combining microinsurance and new technologies to protect the poor

   05 April 2007

   Microcredit can help the poor rise above poverty. Microinsurance can help them stay there. By providing protection against certain perils, microinsurance complements other financial and social services. Still, its development relies on significantly reducing operating expenses relative to premiums.

6. 

   Employment and working conditions in Europe: How much can one work?

   04 April 2007

   Unemployment, growing competition and the shift of the European Union (EU) from 10 to soon 27 member states have had a deep impact on employment and working conditions in the EU, says a new study by the ILO and the European Commission. For the first time, the study provides information on employment and working conditions in the enlarged EU and identifies the workers most at risk in this process. ILO Online reports from Croatia.

7. 

   Can the European social model survive? Is flexicurity the answer?

   02 April 2007

   The search for a better combination of flexibility and security is a major challenge within the European Union, and not only in the accession countries. Two major new studies from the ILO look at different aspects of employment and working conditions.

8. 

   ILO Global Report Insidiousness and insecurity: The new face of discrimination and inequality in the world of work

   01 April 2007

   At workplaces where different people gather, one thing remains the same: despite major advances in addressing discrimination at work, inequalities between mainstream groups and those vulnerable to discrimination remain stubbornly persistent and continue to afflict millions of people worldwide.

9. 

   Bird flu: ILO and its constituents gear up for a response

   26 March 2007

   The recent outbreak of avian flu in the United Kingdom has prompted new calls for a coordinated response from the world of work. The ILO's tripartite structure is ideal for exchanging up-to-date information on risks and control measures and encouraging preparedness measures and preventive behaviour at the workplace. Coordinated by its , the ILO will assist countries to improve working conditions and protect workers against avian flu, drawing from ILO occupational safety and health standards and technical guidelines. To assess the impact of an epidemic on workers, ILO Online spoke with Susan Longley of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF).

10. Indigenous women overcome multiple obstacles

    13 March 2007

    Indigenous peoples around the world suffer from discrimination in the world of work, but indigenous women can be particularly hard hit by the double whammy of ethnicity and gender. Jessie Fredlund of the ILO Gender Bureau and INDISCO looks at the problem and finds some success stories in Bangladesh.