ILO Governing Body 337th session - INS/12/1: Update on the status of ratification of the 1986 Instrument for the Amendment of the Constitution of the ILO

05.11.2019
Geneva

ILO Governing Body 337th session, Geneva, 28 October – 7 November 2019

Thank you, Chairperson.

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

The Candidate Countries Turkey, the Republic of North Macedonia[*], Montenegro[*], Serbia[*] and Albania[*], the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Georgia align themselves with this statement.

We thank the Director General for submitting a report to us, which consists of two parts: (1) on progress made in promoting the ratification of the 1986 Instrument of Amendment, and (2) the actual implementation of the resolution of the Centenary Declaration.

First and foremost, we would like to recall that the democratization of governance is not only limited to the composition of the Governing Body.

We would like to take note, that some of the provisions set out in the 1986 Instrument of Amendment, namely those related to the Socialist States of Eastern Europe, do not correspond to the current geographical situation within the region. 

The report proposes that a tripartite working group be established. However, it does not give any indication of its composition and functioning. Before making a decision, the mandate of the group should also be known.

Consequently, it is in our view necessary for the Office, before convening this tripartite group, to initiate tripartite consultations to determine the composition and mandate of the group. To allow sufficient time to work towards consensual solutions, we would favour to keep the initial date envisaged by the Director General for the report of the tripartite group (November 2021).

Based on above, we would therefore support the aim of the decision point, but propose an amendment to clarify the setting up of the tripartite working group as follows:

  •  insert after point a) and before point b) a point stressing the following: “to present at the GB session in March 2020, following tripartite consultations, proposals regarding the composition and the mandate of a tripartite working group to serve as a platform for focused dialogue and for developing proposals on the full, equal and democratic participation in the ILO’s tripartite governance in the spirit of the Centenary Declaration”,.
  •  amend present point b) into point c) to read: “to establish a tripartite working group on the basis of the proposals made under point b), which would present its first report back to the Governing Body in November 2021”.

Thank you, Chair.

 


[*] The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.