Kingdom wins three-year deputy seat on ILO governing body

JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development on Monday won a three-year deputy seat of the International Labor Organization (ILO) governing body.
The development came on the sidelines of the 106th Session of the International Labor Conference (ILC) held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The election was carried out on Monday to elect 24 candidates representing governments in four regions: Africa, US, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe.
The Kingdom earned 168 votes of the 253 total cast to become a non-regular member that will represent the Asian region for 2017-2020.
The ILO deputy membership makes decisions on ILO policy; decides the agenda of the ILC, adopts the draft programs and budget of the organization for submission to the ILC; and elects the director general.
Minister of Labor and Social Development Ali bin Nasser Al-Ghafis headed the Saudi delegation to the current session of the conference that runs from June 5-16. High-ranking delegates include recent government members, workers and employers.
The ILO was established in 1919 under the Economic and Social Council, one of the UN’s six main bodies. It supervises implementation of labor programs in areas such as domestic labor, gender equality, forced labor, inspection, occupational safety and health, working hours and others.