The new Director-General Houngbo, in his report on his first International Labour Conference, explains “his vision for advancing social justice and promoting decent work”, examining the challenges the world of work faces and suggesting some actions required by the ILO as well as by governments, and employers’ and workers’ organizations. 

The World of Work Summit: Social Justice for All, was the highlight of the Conference, where governments, trade unions, and employer representatives strongly supported the creation of a Global Coalition for Social Justice.

The second Standards Setting Discussion on Quality Apprenticeships concluded in a new Recommendation which underlines the importance of working together, constructively, to promote a culture of lifelong learning, to increase awareness and attractiveness of apprenticeships to employers and apprentices, and to address the stigma of apprenticeships as less valuable and beneficial forms of skill and competency development. Member States  are encouraged to establish a regulatory framework for quality apprenticeships and qualification systems to facilitate the recognition of competencies acquired through apprenticeships.

The proposed resolution and conclusions of the General Discussion Committee on a Just Transition were adopted. These layed the groundwork for the ILO to integrate a Just Transition into future Programmes and Budgets. The outcome of this discussion also requests the Director-General to develop a strategy and action plan on just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all, to give effect to the conclusions.  

As follow up to the Social Justice Declaration (2008), the second Recurrent Discussion on the strategic objective of social protection (labour protection) adopted a resolution. Amid different challenges and crises impacting the world of work, this discussion highlighted the significant progress made in all areas related to labour protection since the previous recurrent discussion in 2015, and the most appropriate way forward to harness opportunities and further improve labour protection worldwide. The conclusions acknowledge the important achievementsmade on the issue due to ILO and constituents’ actions, and the need to build on these successes and lessons learned for the future. The conclusions reaffirm the key role played by sustainable enterprises, without which no labour protection can be effective and sustainable, and the critical interconnection between both.

Additionally, 13 ratifications of International Labour Conventions were deposited, of which 6 ratifications were of fundamental Conventions and 4 ratifications of the Violence and Harassment Convention (C190).

The Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) completed its work successfully by adopting conclusions on all country cases.

The CAS discussion of the General Survey on Achieving Gender Equality at Work reaffirmed that eliminating discrimination and advancing gender equality at work is at the heart of the ILO’s mandate to promote and realize social justice and decent work.