The Director-General of the ILO, Gilbert F. Houngbo, will visit Accra in Ghana, and Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire from 20 to 24 February - his second visit to Africa.
The Director-General will discuss current issues related to the world of work with government authorities and ILO partners and his vision for creating a Global Coalition for Social Justice.
Houngbo will meet with the Ministers in charge of Employment and Labour Relations in Ghana and Employment and Social Protection in Cote d'Ivoire. He will also meet employers' and workers' representatives and the UN System "Country Team." During his visit to both countries, he will be accompanied by Svenja Schulze, Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, and Hubertus Heil, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany.
In Ghana, the focus will be put on strengthening cooperation, including tripartite partnerships with the government, social partners, and other development partners on key decent work areas. The ILO Director-General will launch the new ILO project ''Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work''.
In Côte d'Ivoire, Houngbo will discuss an innovative Dutch-funded project which tackles the root causes of child labour in supply chains. The government has developed the project in collaboration with the private sector and social partners. He will also visit a cocoa plantation and cooperative, as well as an ILO-supported initiative that promotes registration for universal health coverage by local populations.
Finally, the ILO Director-General will participate in a High-level conference on « Promoting decent work in supply chains to eliminate child labour » co-organized by the ILO, the CIM (Interministerial Committee for the fight against trafficking, exploitation, and child labour), and the CNS (National Monitoring Committee on Action to Combat Trafficking, Exploitation, and Child Labour) on Friday 24th February in Abidjan.
The press is invited to cover the various activities of this visit. In Abidjan, he will meet with the press on Wednesday, 22nd February, at 6 PM GMT, and on Friday, 24th February, at 10.00 AM GMT.
