Child Labour in the Russian Federation

Working paper on child labor written in 2002 for the ILO by Svetlana Stephenson, in preparation of the ILO Declaration entitled A Future Without Child Labour, under the mandate of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work

Latecomers to the ILO and the authorship and ownership of the international labour code

The article examines the extent to which latecomers to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that comprise more than one half of the organization could be said to have contributed to the establishment of the International Labour Code, about two thirds of which had already been established by the time that they began to join the ILO as politically sovereign independent states. The article focuses on the recent work of the ILO Working Party on Policy Regarding the Revision of Standards (1994-2002). It evaluates both the significance of outcomes of the Working Party’s achievements and the role of the latecomers in that enterprise. It shows that the latecomers have appropriated the ILO dynamic and utilized the ILO’s Working Party and Committee structures both to project matters of foremost concern to themselves onto the agenda of the ILO and to update the International Labour Code by evaluating, categorizing, and suspending some of the Conventions and Recommendations that they had deemed to be irrelevant. It concludes that after the conclusion of the work of the Working Party on Policy Regarding the Revision of Standards, latecomers to the ILO have become equal co-authors and co-owners of the International Labour Code together with all the other member states parties of the ILO

From Disability Benefits to Gainful Employment: Sub-regional Conference Report, 6-8 Oct. 2005, Reumal Center, Fojnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

In 2004, ILO SRO Budapest asked the Austrian Government to co-fund a sub-regional seminar on disability pension reform to bring together all ILO constituents from all SEE countries (the former Yugoslavia, except Slovenia; but Albania, Moldova; and some representatives of NGOs from the host country). The purpose was to focus on detailed problems regarding the transition from benefit regimes to job integration. This request was positively received by the Austrian Government, and its funding was supplemented by French project resources, used for the disability policy survey described above. For policymakers, a meaningful reintegration of persons with disabilities into the workplace should entail the following goals brought into focus at this conference:• to come to a common understanding of the linkages – both mutually reinforcingand tensions – among employment, labour market, and social protection (benefits) policies• to evaluate the incentive/disincentive functions of disability benefit systems with regard to the labour market integration of beneficiaries• to identify the potential benefits of shifting from benefit-based approaches to labour market integration approaches in disability policy• to understand how persons with disabilities perceive their own needs for support in seeking to enter or reenter employment• to develop a set of next steps for disability policy reform towards employment integration. These were the goals of the conference “From Disability Benefits to GainfulEmployment”, held in Fojnica, BiH in October 2005 with the support of the Austrian Government. The participants included over 30 participants from federal, regional entity, and municipal levels of government in BiH as well as two representatives each from Albania, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia – who are either policymakers, senior civil servants at labour market and social security/assistance institutions, managers of service delivery and rehabilitation institutions in the area of disability policy or subsequent fields, or NGOs working for disability rights in BiH and other SEE countries

The International Labour Organization and the Quest for Social Justice, 1919-2009

[Excerpt] This book explores some of the main ideas which the ILO has seized, developed and applied, examines their history and tells how they were pursued in different geographical and historical settings. And, since the ILO revolves around ideas, that helps us understand why the ILO has sometimes thrived, sometimes suffered, but always survived and persisted to pursue its goals through the political and economic upheavals of the last 90 years

Integrating Women and Girls With Disabilities Into Mainstream Vocational Training: A Practical Guide

[From Foreword] This guide has been developed as an ILO contribution to implementing the Agenda for Action of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, and to the Platform for Action adopted by the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing which has called specifically for action by Governments, in cooperation with employers, workers and trade unions, international and on-governmental organizations, including women’s and youth organizations, and educational institutions to ensure access to quality education and training for, among others, women with disabilities, to improve their employment opportunities. It is also part of the ILO strategy to promote the observance of the ILO Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159), and Recommendation, 1983 (No. 168). These are the main reference documents for the ILO activities on the employment and training of disabled persons, along with the ILO Recommendation on Vocational Rehabilitation of the Disabled, 1995 (No. 99). This guide is intended primarily for instructors and administrators in vocational training institutes in both the public and private sectors

The Effect of ILO Minimum Age Conventions on Child Labour and School Attendance

Child labour has always been one of the core concerns of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In this paper, we investigate whether ILO conventions have contributed to reducing the scale of the problem. We use two approaches to answering the question. Evidence based on country-level data shows that, by 1990, countries having ratified ILO conventions were in no different position concerning child labour than nonratifying states. Using individual-level data on school attendance from the 1990s, there is little evidence for an increase in school attendance for children protected by ILO convention No. 138 as compared to unprotected children. --Child labour,school attendance,international labour standards,ILO

The ILO and Enforcement of Core Labor Standards

Although many deny it, a linkage between trade policy and labor standards clearly exists. The International Labor Organization (ILO), long ignored and belittled, is suddenly popular with various constituents who desperately want to deflect pressure to incorporate labor standards in trade agreements and the World Trade Organization (WTO). As a result, the ILO today is getting significantly more attention, more political support, and more resources to deal with core labor standards, especially child labor. In 1998, with strong support from the United States, other developed country governments, and key representatives of employers and workers, the ILO adopted a new Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. In 1999, the ILO approved a new convention to combat the worst forms of child labor, a convention that is being ratified at the fastest rate in ILO history. This year, for the first time, the ILO invoked Article 33 of its constitution in an effort to compel Burma to abolish forced labor.

Improved ventricular function during inhalation of PGI(2) aerosol partly relies on enhanced myocardial contractility

Inhaled prostacyclin (PGI(2)) aerosol induces selective pulmonary vasodilation. Further, it improves right ventricular ( RV) function, which may largely rely on pulmonary vasodilation, but also on enhanced myocardial contractility. We investigated the effects of the inhaled PGI(2) analogs epoprostenol (EPO) and iloprost (ILO) on RV function and myocardial contractility in 9 anesthetized pigs receiving aerosolized EPO (25 and 50 ng center dot kg(-1) center dot min(-1)) and, consecutively, ILO (60 ng center dot kg(-1) center dot min(-1)) for 20 min each. We measured pulmonary artery pressure ( PAP), RV ejection fraction (RVEF) and RV end-diastolic-volume (RV-EDV), and left ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume-relation (end-systolic elastance, E-es). EPO and ILO reduced PAP, increased RVEF and reduced RVEDV. E-es was enhanced during all doses tested, which reached statistical significance during EPO25ng and ILO, but not during EPO50ng. PGI(2) aerosol enhances myocardial contractility in healthy pigs, contributing to improve RV function. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Zambia Country Profile: Promoting the Employability and Employment of People with Disabilities Through Effective Legislation (Southern Africa)

In recent years, many countries have adopted policies aiming to promote the rights of people with disabilities to full and equal participation in society. In Africa, some countries have made progress in introducing disability-related legislation, but many of these laws have not yet been implemented, and in others, existing national laws need to be reviewed in order to achieve equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. The country study for Zambia is part of an ILO project, “Promoting the employability and employment of people with disabilities through effective legislation”. The first phase of the programme (2001-2004) aimed at enhancing the capacity of national governments in selected countries of East Africa and Asia1 to implement effective legislation concerning the employment of people with disabilities. Phase 2 of the project (2004-2007) is extending coverage to several additional countries (Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia in Africa and Viet Nam in Asia), with a broadened focus on provisions for vocational training and skills development. This country study outlines the main provisions of the laws and policies in place in Zambia concerning the employment and training of people with disabilities. An initial review of the implementation of the legislation is also provided. A concluding comment underlines the progress made in the country and points to areas that have been identified, by key stakeholders or in the literature, as in need of further improvement. It may be read in conjunction with the regional overview prepared for the Technical Consultation in 2002, “Employment of people with disabilities - The impact of legislation (East Africa),Technical Consultation Report, Addis Ababa, 20-22 May 2002”, ILO, 2002