GENEVA (ILO News) – The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) signed a wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Monday 13 June, on key issues including promoting gender equality, eliminating sex discrimination, protecting domestic workers, promoting social protection floors and combating gender-based violence at work.

The agreement foresees a set of cooperation modalities, including South/South and Triangular cooperation. The UN agencies will enhance policy coherence in the area of decent work and gender empowerment and undertake joint advocacy and awareness raising initiatives, research, training, skills upgrading and capacity building for constituents, among other activities.

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia praised the “inspired leadership” of Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of UN-Women, by rapidly mobilizing support to deliver the UN-Women Vision and Action Plan. The MOU will institutionalise the already strong working relationship between the ILO and the new entity.

“Working with our social partners at the country level together with UN-Women we can make an impact and achieve greater gender equality results for working women and men”, Mr. Somavia said.

The Executive Director of UN-Women, Michelle Bachelet, stated that “This is more than an MOU. This reflects the political will and strong partnership between ILO and UN-Women. It is an extraordinary opportunity to really advance the objectives of gender equality and the empowerment of women as well as to ensure decent work for women globally.”

UN-Women was created by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 64/289 in July 2010 that consolidated the work of four former UN bodies under one new entity. The signing took place during the ILO’s historic 100th Session of the International Labour Conference.