ILC114 - EU Statement - General Discussion Committee on Advancing the Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work

European Union

Statement

International Labour Conference
114^th session

Geneva, 1 - 12 June 2026

________

General Discussion Committee on Advancing the Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work

Discussion point 3

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Geneva, 2 June 2026

International Labour Conference

114^th session

Geneva, 1 - 12 June 2026

General Discussion Committee on Advancing the Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work

EU Statement - Discussion Point 3

DP3: What priority actions should ILO constituents and the International Labour Office, within their respective mandates, take to promote, advance and support a transformative agenda for gender equality in the world of work? How can concrete and practical efforts be strengthened to achieve gender equality in the world of work?

Chair,

I speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova¹ and Georgia the EFTA countries Iceland, and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia, and the United Kingdom align themselves with this statement. 

1. We consider that advancing gender equality in the world of work requires stronger implementation of international labour standards, effective national policies and sustained tripartite engagement. Social dialogue and collective bargaining remain essential tools for advancing equal pay, decent working conditions, work-life balance and protection from gender based and sexual violence and harassment.

2. Effective implementation of Convention No. 190 remains essential. Prevention, awareness-raising, safe and accessible reporting systems, workplace-level measures, access to remedies and effective enforcement all contribute to safer, more inclusive and dignified working environments.

3. We also support stronger action to ensure gender balanced representation in ILO meetings, delegations and decision-making processes.

4. Governments play a central role in ensuring gender-responsive legislation, effective enforcement and inclusive labour markets that support workers across all sectors and forms of employment. This includes strengthening legal, institutional and enforcement frameworks on equality and non-discrimination, equal pay, maternity protection, parental and carers’ leave, work-life balance, gender based and sexual violence and harassment and social protection. It also requires integrated and evidence-based approaches, including national action plans, supported by effective coordination and implementation mechanisms, combining employment, skills, care, social protection, wage and enterprise policies, alongside targeted measures supporting women’s entry, re-entry and retention in the labour market, including pathways to formalisation and quality jobs.

5. Employers also have an important role in promoting inclusive workplaces and fair, transparent and predictable working conditions, including through transparent pay systems, non-discriminatory recruitment and promotion, support for women’s leadership and career progression, family-friendly and flexible working arrangements and safe and healthy working environments, including the prevention of gender based and sexual violence and harassment.

6. Workers’ organisations are equally important in strengthening women’s voice, representation and leadership, including in collective bargaining, occupational safety and health and transition-related policies. Efforts to strengthen organisation, representation and collective bargaining coverage for women in informal, domestic and non-standard forms of work, can also improve access to rights, protection and decent working conditions.

7. Finally, we encourage the ILO Office to keep gender equality as a core strategic priority and to continue strengthening gender mainstreaming across programmes and operations, including through adequate expertise, staffing and institutional capacity, gender-responsive budgeting, gender markers, gender analysis, gender-disaggregated data, monitoring tools, technical cooperation and support to constituents. This should include practical guidance and tools to integrate gender equality into digital, AI-related and other just transition policies. We also support coordinated integration of gender equality across transitions, crisis responses and labour and social protection reforms. Partnerships and alliances with UN entities, other international and regional organisations and development partners, including through initiatives such as the Equal Pay International Coalition, can further support practical implementation, policy coherence and measurable progress.

Thank you.