Odile Frank, representative to APA, EFPA and FSP to UNOG and the Specialized Agencies at Geneva attended the International Labour Organization´s annual International Labour Conference (ILC) at Geneva on 3 to 14 June 2024.
Against the backdrop of the ILO’s 2024 report “Towards a renewed Social Contract” and the ILO’s concurrent launch of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, the 112th ILC addressed three topics of special interest to the American Psychological Association, European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations and the Swiss Federation of Psychologists: a Resolution on the Care Economy; a Strategic dialogue on the 2025 Second World Summit for Social Development; and a Resolution on biological hazards in the working environment.
Care Economy A resolution that stressed the urgent need for action was adopted on 14 June. The topic will be addressed by the ILO’s Governing Body at its session in October and November 2024. Notable is the stipulation that “Care work consists of, among others, activities and relations that […] meet the physical, psychological, cognitive, mental health and developmental needs for care and support of people including children, adolescents, youth, adults, older persons, persons with disabilities…”.
World Summit for Social Development This second world summit, 25 years after the World Summit in 1995 and the Copenhagen Declaration is set to take place in Qatar in November 2024. The ILC held a Strategic Dialogue with the Co-facilitators of the preparatory process for the Summit, Mr Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations in New York, and Mr Kridelka, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations in New York, nominated by the President of the UN General Assembly. The plan was that the ILO would submit by the end of the ILC a position paper on the WSSD#2, essentially a joint statement from the social partners. Even as each Co-facilitator acknowledged in turn the ILO as a key agency and in its contribution to the Summit, echoed in the Director-General, Mr Houngbo’s closing remarks at the ILC on the critical role of his Organization, no agreement could be reached by the partners by the close of the ILC. The differences between the positions of the Workers and the Employers are centered essentially on adoption of the principles advanced by the ILO in the DG’s report “Towards a renewed social contract” in the ILO’s opening position on the Summit.
Biological Hazards in the Working Environment A resolution was adopted on 14 June 2024 to move forward on ILO standards regarding biological hazards – a Convention and a Recommendation – beginning with a second discussion to take place at the 113th session of the ILC in 2025. Notable are the stipulations with respect to Definitions and Scope of the Convention that: “[…]Biological hazards in the working environment include exposure inter alia to bodily fluids and biological vectors or transmitters of disease[…] Harm to human health caused by biological hazards in the working environment includes communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries […] The Convention should apply to all workers in all branches of economic activity” and the Conclusions regarding the Recommendation that “[…]The sectors and occupations where workers are at a higher risk of exposure to biological hazards and for which specific preventive and protective measures should be developed under the Convention should include: (a) the healthcare sector […] (e) humanitarian work”.
EFPA advocates at the UN at Geneva as part of a partnership with the American Psychological Association (APA) and Federation of Swiss Psychologists (FSP).