ILO

Burmese migrant worker in Bangkok, Thailand.
IOM/Benjamin Suomela

Uncertain future for migrant workers, in a post-pandemic world

19 September 2020
Migrants and Refugees

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely put a freeze on migration. But will the movement of people recover once the current crisis is over? In an interview with UN News, Gary Rynhart, a senior official at the UN labour agency, ILO, explains why a return to “normal” is unlikely, and migrants will probably face a very different job market.

A containter ship sails near Hong Kong Island.
Unsplash/Kinsey

‘My children ask me when am I coming home’: stranded seafarers share their frustrations

19 July 2020
Human Rights

Hundreds of thousands of seafarers are finding themselves stranded at sea, sometimes for over a year, and with no end in sight, as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions. The uncertainty and long spells away from home are taking a heavy mental toll.

The UN estimates that estimates that about 25 to 50 per cent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another 60 per cent are under threat.
ILO Photo/John Isaac

First Person: Collecting the ‘Book of Life’ for coral reefs

6 June 2020
Climate and Environment

With the climate crisis threatening coral reefs around the world, a researcher in Hawaii is part of a team pioneering new techniques to preserve living coral sperm and larvae, and ultimately save the biodiversity and genetic diversity of coral reefs not just in Hawaii but across the world.

A bus driver in New York City wears a mask to protect himself against the Coronavirus.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Post-pandemic ‘green shift’ in transport could create up to 15 million jobs

19 May 2020
Economic Development

Transforming the transport sector to be more environmentally-friendly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, could create up to 15 million new jobs worldwide and help countries move to greener, healthier economies, according to a UN-backed report published on Tuesday.

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative solar facility in the US state of Hawaii.
ILO Photo/Kevin Cassidy

Moving towards 100% renewable power in Hawaii (with a little help from sheep)

10 May 2020
Climate and Environment

The US island state of Hawaii has committed to generating 100 per cent of its power using renewable energy by 2045, demonstrating to other US states and island communities across the world, that sustainable energy can be a reality. UN News travelled to Hawaii with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to talk to a power company executive and a sheep farmer to find out how they are contributing to that goal.

Kai Bussant (pictured) launched her fashion collection just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic spread across the United States.
Nick Shamblott

First Person: Fashionable face masks, creativity and dressing to shop in the COVID era

9 May 2020
Economic Development

A fashion designer and stylist in New Orleans, one of the early epicentres of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, has said that she was left “stifled and confused” by the disruption caused by the pandemic, but recognizes there are opportunities to grow creatively and serve the community by making face masks, with some fashion flair.

Young factory workers producing shirts in Accra, Ghana.
World Bank/Dominic Chavez

Nearly half of global workforce at risk as job losses increase due to COVID-19: UN labour agency

28 April 2020
Economic Development

Some 1.6 billion people employed in the informal economy – or nearly half the global workforce - could see their livelihoods destroyed due to the continued decline in working hours brought on by lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday.

Staff of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Guangdong Medical University.
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Guangdong Medical University

Coronavirus necessitates global increase in protective equipment, medical supplies: UN health chief

30 March 2020
Health

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for stepped-up production of medical equipment and supplies as health facilities and health workers in many countries struggle with increasing and urgent demands brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Demotta is the curator for living collections at Hawaii's National Tropical Botanical Garden.
ILO Photo/John Isaac

FIRST PERSON: The ‘inseparable bond’ between Hawaiian culture and native plants

20 March 2020
Climate and Environment

The 17 goals agreed by the global community to reduce poverty and create a sustainable planet are the responsibility of all people, wherever they are in the world, according to the United Nations. The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs represent a boundary-pushing blueprint for the future of the Earth and it’s anticipated they will be realized by 2030. UN News joined the International Labour Organization on a visit to Hawaii where many people are already living aspects of the goals in their everyday work.

Emily Fernandez, a migrant worker from the Philippines currently employed in Qatar, enjoys a day off in the city.
ILO/Aparna Jayakumar

New labour laws in Qatar benefiting migrant workers a ‘momentous step forward’: ILO

17 October 2019
Migrants and Refugees

New legislation in Qatar which will allow foreign workers to freely change jobs and leave the country without the approval of their employers, has been praised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as “a momentous step forward in upholding the rights of migrant workers.”