Some 2.2 million people die each year through work-related accidents and diseases, according to ILO statistics. This figure alone illustrates the importance of improved safety and health conditions in the workplace. How to achieve this is the topic of a major international conference organized by the ILO every other year in Düsseldorf during the A+A congress and trade fair on occupational safety and health.

The ILO is pleased to announce that the Düsseldorf Trade Fair (Messe Düsseldorf GmbH) and the Federal Association for Occupational Safety and Health (Basi e.V.) have agreed to support the ILO in cash and kind for the organization of future conferences. A cooperation agreement to this effect was signed today by the ILO Executive Director for Social Protection, Assane Diop, the Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Friedrich Buttler, the Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf, Wilhelm Niedergöker, and the Managing Director of Basi, Bruno Zwingmann, at a ceremony during the International Labour Conference in Geneva.

"It is of utmost importance to enhance the protection of people at work and ensure their right to a safe and healthy working environment", said Mr. Diop. "This memorandum of understanding marks a milestone toward this goal reached jointly by Messe Düsseldorf, Basi and ILO."

Under the agreement, Messe Düsseldorf will provide significant contributions in cash and kind for each conference up to the year 2013, while Basi will contribute in kind by organizing the biennial international conference, aimed at facilitating the international exchange of experiences and best practices and serving as an activating platform for the social partners and governments. The partners' joint objectives include promoting and establishing a health and safety culture worldwide and developing labour inspection and accident insurance policies as well as promoting decent work, a new quality of office work and a safer and healthier environment in the construction industry.

In September 2007, during the next A+A in Düsseldorf, the ILO, Messe Düsseldorf, Basi and the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) will hold a global forum on labour inspection. The forum will build on the recently published ILO survey on labour inspection. During the discussions of the survey, the social partners and ILO member States have called for increased technical assistance by the ILO, especially to developing countries, to bolster labour inspection worldwide and to launch a new labour inspection campaign. The aim is a quantitative as well as qualitative strengthening of labour inspection systems in all regions.

"It is important to remember that economic performance also depends on a healthy and productive workforce", explained Gerd Albracht, the ILO coordinator for labour inspection systems. "Labour inspectors have a crucial role to play therein because they are the only ones with direct access to the workplace who are able to impose changes aimed at improving labour conditions. The memorandum of understanding with Basi and Messe Düsseldorf prepares the ground for an ILO global labour inspection forum to promote safety and health in the workplace through reinforced labour inspection services worldwide."

For more information: Nicola Liebert, ILO Berlin, +4930/280-92668, liebert@ilo.org