Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III has vowed to push for equal representation of big and small member states in the policy-making body of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
In his recent meeting with Swiss Ambassador Valerie Berset Bircher and Essah Aniefiok Etim of Nigeria at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Bello assured that the democratization of the ILOs Governing Body is a priority agenda in the Philippines’ chairmanship of the government group.
“I don’t see the wisdom of not allowing other nations equal speaking and voting rights in the ILO’s Governing Body,” Bello told Bicher and Etim whose respective countries are also relegated to observer status in the ILO body.
Switzerland is host to a number of world organizations, but has remained an observer in ILO’s government group.
“Let me assure you that this concern is among the key items we are pushing in our stewardship of the Government Group,” he added.
Bello is currently the chairman of the ILO government group--an achievement he called "historic" as the Philippines is the first non-regular member country of the organization to take such role.
Bicher and Etim, co-chairs of the democratization committee of the ILO, met the labor chief to express support for the Philippines’ chairmanship, a day after Bello presided the group’s hybrid meeting in Geneva which was attended by over 160 member states of the Government Group last week.
ILO Director General Guy Ryder earlier reminded Bello on the important role the government group will play in ensuring that governments around the world will provide social protection to their respective workers.
Ryder also stressed that Bello will have a crucial role in adopting measures to address global unemployment which stood at 125 million.
Noting that 53 percent of the world’s workforce do not enjoy social protection, Ryder asked Bello to also push governments to provide social protection to their workers.
“From temporary amelioration, there is a need for a more systemic, permanent social protection,” he said.