A Ugandan Delegation led by Hon Janat Mukwaya, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development is currently attending the 331st Governing Body Meeting of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland.
Other members of the Delegation include Mr. Pius Bigirimana, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and Mr. Martin Wandera the Director of Labour, Employment and Occupational Safety and Health.
Uganda was voted to the Governing Body for a three-year term during the 106th International Labour Conference held in Geneva in June this year.
The Governing Body is the Executive Organ of the International Labour Organisation.
A wide range of issues have been considered by the 331st Meeting of the Governing Body including the contemporary global challenges of labour migration and the strategies of promoting fair labour migration governance in the countries of origin, transit and destination.
The Human Resource Strategy 2018-21 is also being considered. Discussion on this matter is dominated by concerns by the African Group about under representation by African countries within the ILO staff structure. The Meeting is also expected to take a decision on whether the ILO should terminate Public Private Partnerships with the tobacco industry in line with the Model Policy for Agencies of the United Nations System on Preventing Tobacco Industry Interference.
Under the PPP’s, the tobacco industry has been contributing funds to ILO’s programmes of elimination of child labour in the tobacco industry.
Furthermore, the meeting adopted a decision to exclude France and the United Kingdom from attending ILO Africa Regional Meetings as full members with equal rights as independent African states. The representation of the two had roots in their former role as colonialists.
In addition, a resolution was also adopted urging countries to ratify an amendment to the ILO Constitution that will make all member states equal. Currently, the ILO Constitution provides for Countries of Chief Industrial Importance whose support is mandatory for any amendment of the Constitution to come into force. The meeting has also adopted a global strategy on advancing social justice through decent work.
