ILO in the media
2013
-
Al Jazeera America
Landmark global treaty for domestic workers comes into force
08 September 2013
There are at least 53 million domestic workers worldwide, excluding child domestic workers. In an interview with Al Jazeera America, Lawrence Jeff Johnson of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines talks about the historic ILO Convention extending basic labour rights to domestic workers around the globe.
-
BBC World Business Report
Jobs and growth are top priority at G20, says ILO Director-General
05 September 2013
Speaking from the G20 in Moscow, the ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder told the BBC that 93 million were unemployed among the G20 nations and a third had been unemployed for over a year. With these numbers going up, Guy Ryder said the G20 has an opportunity to move up a gear in addressing the issues of jobs and growth.
-
The CNN Freedom Project
Educate, inform and empower women to prevent forced labor
15 July 2013
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, tells CNN that billions of US dollars are withheld from workers worldwide - money that should be invested into lifting people out of poverty and out of entrapment.
-
Al Jazeera
In Yemen, children take a stance against child labour
13 June 2013
In ratifying two ILO's convections, Yemen has made an important step to reduce their 1.6 million child labourers, which account for 21% of the country's children. However, as Al Jazeera English reports, progress may be difficult while 1/3 of Yemen's 25 million people live below the poverty line. Creating awareness and encouraging children to enroll in school is the next strong initiative by Yemen's Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
-
BBC World News
10.5 million children trapped in child domestic work: ILO
12 June 2013
Millions of children worldwide spend long hours as domestic workers instead of going to school according to a report from the ILO. The hidden nature of this form of employment, makes children especially vulnerable to exploitation and hazardous working conditions that may sometimes verge on slavery.
-
CNN
Economic inequality on the rise, warns ILO's Director General
03 June 2013
Talking to CNN, ILO's Director General, Guy Ryder, says that people are not reinvesting the money that has been accumulated from the cuts put in place since the 2008 crisis and that it's "a very serious situation". Cash holdings have tripled by publicly listed companies, causing growth in economic inequality where small business cannot access the credit that could create jobs.
-
BBC World News
It is "absolutely crucial" that banks invest in small enterprises, says ILO's Raymond Torres
03 June 2013
Inequality is getting worst in developed economies while major enterprises are not reinvesting the profits they are making, says ILO's Raymond Torres in a live interview with BBC World News. There is foresight for economic growth in developing countries, but in advanced economies, middle income groups are shrinking. In 2015, 208 million individuals will be without work as long as 6 Trillion US dollars continue to sit unspent in the accounts of large enterprises.
-
Al Jazeera English
Austerity stunting employment recovery for young people, says ILO
29 May 2013
Support to small businesses may help tackle rising youth unemployment in the EU but it is not enough. Rolling back austerity measures will allow these companies to hire again. In a live interview with Al Jazeera English, ILO's Chief Economist, Ekkehard Ernst, urged South European countries to step up and provide sufficient jobs and the right skills to young people to ease their access to the labour market. He welcomed the recent French-German initiative to boost youth employment, stressing the importance of apprenticeships and the education system to prepare youth for labour market.
-
Reuters TV
200 million unemployed by the end of 2013, says ILO Director General
29 May 2013
An additional six million people will join the ranks of the unemployed, accounting for 200 million worldwide, according to the ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder. And this number may reach 250 million in the next five years. Speaking to Reuters, Mr. Ryder welcomed some EU countries' initiatives to tackle youth unemployment, but urged that much more needs to be done. He warned that the rhetoric of a lost generation is not a danger for the future, but already happening and that needs immediate action.
-
Al Jazeera English
In the Philippines, decent and productive jobs need to be created, urges the ILO
21 May 2013
Al Jazeera English reports from a small town in Batangas, Philippines called "little Italy" where most of its inhabitants have found work abroad. The remittances they have sent back changed its face from a village of coconut trees to Italian-style villas. However, the absence of these migrant workers comes at a cost to their children who have been left behind. Director Lawrence Jeff Johnson of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines talks to Al Jazeera English about migration as a choice and the importance of decent and productive work.