News

May 2006

  1. Press release

    ILO/UNAIDS Meeting on HIV/AIDS and the world of work in Latin America and the Caribbean The ILO calls for greater mobilization to tackle the problem of AIDS in the workplace

    09 May 2006

    The ILO today highlighted the need for greater mobilization against HIV/AIDS in the workplace in Latin America and the Caribbean in order to combat discrimination and enhance preventive action in response to a pandemic which affects mainly people of working age.

  2. Press release

    Sixteenth American Regional Meeting of the ILO comes to an end Government, employer and worker delegates announce the start of a Decade of promoting decent work in the Americas

    08 May 2006

    The Sixteenth American Regional Meeting of the ILO concluded today with the announcement by governments, employers and workers of the start of a Decade of promoting decent work in the Americas.

  3. Press release

    ILO Meeting of Experts to discuss new Code of Practice on coal mine safety

    08 May 2006

    In an effort to modernize safety and health regulations in underground coal mines, representatives of workers, employers and governments meet here on 8-13 May to discuss a draft Code of Practice for one of the world's most hazardous occupations.

  4. Press release

    Sixteenth American Regional Meeting of the ILO opens in Brasilia

    04 May 2006

    The Sixteenth American Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organization opened here Wednesday with a call by ILO Director-General Juan Somavia for "a decent work decade" to be launched to "improve prospects for democratic governance and security in the hemisphere".

  5. Press release

    New ILO Report shows marked decline in child labour worldwide Believes its worst forms can be eliminated in 10 years

    04 May 2006

    Child labour, especially in its worst forms, is in decline for the first time across the globe, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said today, in a new, cautiously optimistic report entitled The end of child labour: Within reach.

  6. Article

    Child labour in Africa: Plucking the Green Gold of Tooro

    04 May 2006

    The new ILO report "The end of child labour: Within reach" paints a mixed picture of child labour worldwide. While the global total of child labourers is on the decline, there remain some 50 million working children in sub-Saharan Africa. But the unprecedented international movement to end child labour is opening a window of opportunity for Africa's fight against the practice. ILO Online reports from a tea plantation in Uganda.

  7. Article

    Child labour in Asia: The story of Thao

    04 May 2006

    Asia and the Pacific registered declines both in the child population and in the number of economically active children, but only a very small decrease in activity rates, according to the ILO's new Global Report "The end of child labour: Within reach". The ILO estimates that this region has the largest number of child workers in the 5-14 age group - some 122 million, with 62 million engaged in work that is considered hazardous. ILO Online reports from the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

  8. Article

    Child labour in Latin America: The accident that changed Braulio's life

    04 May 2006

    According to the new ILO Global Report "The end of child labour: Within reach", Latin America and the Caribbean have seen a rapid decline in child labour over the past four years. The number of children at work in the region has fallen by two-thirds, with just 5 per cent of children now engaged in work. ILO Online reports from Peru where the ILO works towards the progressive elimination of child labour in artisanal mines.

  9. Article

    Regional Meeting for the Americas 2-5 May: Extending social security in Latin America and the Caribbean

    03 May 2006

    The main problem with social security systems in Latin America and the Caribbean is their limited coverage in terms of the number of workers and family members protected, the range of risks covered and the quality of protection. In some countries, coverage has decreased even further over the past 15 years, according to the report prepared for the ILO Regional Meeting for the Americas. The report sets a global target for governments and the social partners to increase social protection by 20 per cent of the region's total population between 2006 and 2015. ILO Online spoke with Michael Cichon, head of the ILO's Social Security Department.

  10. Article

    Regional Meeting for the Americas 2-5 May: Youth employment in Latin America: Overcoming a lost decade

    03 May 2006

    In Latin America, 9.5 million young people out of 57 million aged 15-24 are unemployed. Victims of the "lost decade", they were born between 1980 and 1990 and represent 42 per cent of open unemployment in the region. According to the report prepared for the ILO Regional Meeting for the Americas, the situation is even worse if we take account of the 21 per cent of youth in the region who "do not work nor study". And millions of youth are trapped in temporary and casual jobs that offer no labour or social protection and few prospects for advancement. ILO Online reports from Bolivia.