WORLD leaders and representatives from governments, workers’ and employers’ organisations are billed to address the virtual International Labour Conference World of Work Summit beginning from tomorrow, Thursday, June 17–18, 2021.
Reports from ILO headquarters in Geneva reveal that the Summit will focus on the response to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the world of work and the actions required to build a better future of work.
Among world leaders to address the Summit include Pope Francis, President Biden of the USA, President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea, President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the Republic of Congo and the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa.
“On 17 June at 11:00 GMT (13:00 CEST), the first day of the Summit will hear video addresses from Pope Francis, President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, and the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa and US President Joe Biden (in order of appearance),” the ILO stated on its website on Wednesday.
It disclosed that the high-level addresses will be followed by a conversation between the ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, the Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), Roberto Suárez Santos, and the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Sharan Burrow.
The ILO said the addresses and the conversation would be broadcast live on its website: www.ilo.org/ilclive, where the recordings of the speeches can also be accessed subsequently.
The ILO said on 18th June, the second day of the Summit, there will be a moderated panel discussion with Labour Ministers from Cote d’Ivoire, Mexico, Portugal and Sri Lanka along with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Mahmoud Mohieldin, as well as representatives of workers’ and employers’ organisations.
Panellists will discuss responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and what has been revealed about the deep-seated problems of the labour market. They will also look at the challenges to multilateralism and the key areas on which action is needed to build a world of work with decent work and social justice for all.
