ILO chief ready to face up to necessary reforms

ILO chief ready to face up to "duty of reform" and "rigour Keystone-SDA

The Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Gilbert Houngbo admitted on Monday that the time has come for rigour.

At the start of the 113th International Labour Conference, Houngbo called for a “more efficient” organisation in front of the 187 member states and thousands of delegates in Geneva. He added that “firmness” was needed to reduce expenditure and make the institution more robust, with human beings at its centre. “Employment must be an active component” of economic progress, he added, also refusing to pit worker protection against economic progress.

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Among the most important issues expected over the next two weeks, the financing of the organisation will be at the heart of the discussions. A few days ago, Houngbo told the press that American decisions affected his institution less than humanitarian entities.

But the United States stopped paying its contributions, around 15% of the institution’s funding, in 2024 and this year, as is the case with most UN agencies. Six countries provide nearly 70% of the organisation’s budget, which is unlikely to increase. “The Member States expect us to cut our expenditure,” said the ILO director general. He added that two or three floors of ILO’s Geneva headquarters could be rented out.

In recent months, around 200 staff out of just over 3,500 have had to be made redundant, according to him. This figure is lower than the one put forward by the organisation’s staff union, which was talking about almost 300 jobs being cut. Houngbo also said that he was examining possible relocations to European, African or Asian cities. “It’s too early to make a decision,” he said.

At the 113th International Labour Conference, member states will also have to consider for the first time the scenario of international rules on employment in the digital “platform” economy. This discussion is not expected to be completed this year, admitted an official of the organisation.

Adapted from French by DeepL/ac

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