We at Work: India at the ILO Centenary Global Tour

Statement of Director, Dagmar Walter, at We at Work: Young India, ILO centenary global tour.

Statement | Delhi, India | 11 April 2019
Hello everyone! Good morning.
What a great turnout!

A warm welcome all the young people of India gathered here today, to Government officials, Employer and Worker representatives, and UN colleagues.

I am Dagmar Walter, the country director of ILO India office. Many of you may or may not be familiar with the International Labour Organization.

ILO, is the leading UN agency that promotes justice and equality in the world of work. It works with governments, employers and workers to set labour standards. ILO now is setting the agenda, how the world of work should take shape, with its rapid changes.

I am looking forward to engaging with all of you, and learn from you, how we can together, create a brighter future of work.

I extend my thanks to all the speakers for being here today. I am excited to hear your personal journeys. Making workplaces friendlier, breaking down gender barriers, choosing unconventional careers, AI and future of work – this event is packed with some stirring conversations!

What is truly unique, is that we will be broadcasting live to millions across the world. In fact, this global live tour has started from Fiji and will end in Lima, Peru. We are one among the 24 countries participating. So do make sure, if today you have friends and families who could not be here– they can still join in live at– ilo.org/100/tour!

Many of you must be wondering why the 11th of April? Why on a work-day, a Thursday morning, ILO is hosting this event?

Well, on this day in 1919 the Paris Peace Conference adopted the ILO's Constitution, presented by the Commission on International Labour Legislation, the text which later became Chapter XIII of the Treaty of Versailles. The adoption of this landmark document was the first attempt to construct a universal organization to address the social and economic problems facing the world.

So we are in fact commemorating 11th April — by coming here today in New Delhi and highlighting some significant issues in the world of work.

In the 21th century, the world of work is seeing rapid changes. Just as it was seeing changes in 1919. Some call it the fourth industrial revolution.

We see today the rise of the gig economy – app-driven —in which anyone can access a service with a push of a button. Your cabs, food orders, holidays, bank accounts and much more – you can manage it all on your phone. Who would have imagined this will be the new medium of employment? Where AI driven business models are fast-growing. And there are the young seeking new horizons, new kind of skills, and new kind of opportunities.

And while the world is jettisoning towards a kind of modernity that is complex, it is also grappling with same age-old barriers – wage gap, equality at work, fundamental principles and rights at work and more.

The ILO is keen to unpack all of this.

Your stories, your voices, and your proposals to make the world of work inclusive and better therefore matter.

So let’s dive in and begin ‘We at Work: Young India’.

Wishing you all an exciting day ahead.

We are now officially launching the ILO 100 India music video, celebrating the lives of all working people! It’s called “Pragati” – progress!

Thank you!