Labour migration takes focus at 12th ILO Conference, set for May 23-25

The International Labour Organization (ILO), through its Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, and in collaboration with Guyana’s Labour Ministry, will host the Twelfth Subregional ILO Meeting of Caribbean Labour Ministers from Tuesday to Thursday at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.
Under the theme “Social Justice – the Foundation for Sustainable Caribbean Transformation”, this meeting will address global, regional and national actions required to accelerate the mainstreaming of social justice for transformative socio-economic development.
Labour Ministers and senior officials from 12 ILO member states and nine non-metropolitan territories in the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean will be participating alongside representatives from regional workers’ organisations and employers’ organisations.
Those expected to make presentations are President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton, Director of the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Claudia Coenjaerts; and ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean Director, Dennis Zulu.
Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Gilbert F. Houngbo, will attend the opening ceremony virtually to deliver feature remarks.
The ILO Caribbean Office seeks to support member states’ efforts to integrate the Decent Work Agenda into how Caribbean labour markets prepare for, respond to, and recover from, crises.
Describing decent work as work that is productive and delivers fair income and safe and secure working standards for all employees, ILO developed the Decent Work Agenda to look at job creation, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue, with gender equality as an overarching goal.
One of the main objectives of this three-day ILO conference is to address labour migration as a potential enabler of decent work and an acceleration factor in Caribbean development.
This meeting also aims to examine Caribbean progress on the Just Transition Policy and institutional mechanisms, and determine priorities for action and ILO technical assistance for 2024-2025.
“A Just Transition involves maximising the social and economic opportunities of climate action, while minimising and carefully managing any challenges, including through effective social dialogue among all groups impacted, and respect for fundamental labour principles and rights,” the ILO clarified on its website.
Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic led to a labour market crisis, but ILO research has found that, by 2030, more than two per cent of total working hours worldwide may be lost every year as a result of climate change. As such, ILO believes that addressing these environmental and employment challenges collectively is the best solution, but understands that each country would have to have a policy that works best for its needs, with Guyana having its own Just Transition policy.
The 12th ILO Meeting would also consider developments made since the last Ministerial Meeting held in 2019 in Barbados.