Betty Amongi Ongom, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development led Uganda’s delegation to the 346th Session of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, being held at the International Labour Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva from 31st October to 10th November 2022.
Amongi while addressing the Governing Body on behalf of the African Group of ILO Member States, applauded ILO’s proposed “Strategy on skills and lifelong learning” given its emphasis on skilling that promotes human development, productive employment, and decent work for all. Given the high unemployment rates among the youth globally, the Minister called on the ILO to invest more in research around identifying skills that can support youth to transition from school to work.
Minister Amongi noted that while the strategy addresses the supply-side challenge of making the labour force employable, efforts to promote skilling should be complemented by employment-generating demand-side interventions and supporting ILO constituents to build capacity to develop job growth strategies.
Other members of Uganda’s delegation that accompanied Amongi included; Hon. Charles Okello Engola, Minister of State for Labour, Employment & Industrial Relations, Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Mr. Peter Kimbowa Board Chairman National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Mr. Ronald Basiimwa, Second Secretary, Uganda Permanent Mission to the UN Geneva.
Established in1919, ILO is the only tripartite U.N. agency which brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
The Governing Body of the International Labour Office is the executive body of the ILO. It meets three times a year, in March, June and November. It takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft Programme and Budget of the Organization for submission to the Conference, and elects the Director-General of the ILO.
