The 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia opened with these strong words: labour is not a commodity. It also established a series of primary objectives for the International Labour Organization – created 25 years earlier in 1919 – such as that of ensuring social justice. The 108th Session of the International Labour Conference, which came to a close on 21 June and marked the centenary of the ILO, intended to produce a declaration setting out the ILO’s roadmap for its second century of existence. The conference therefore adopted a “Centenary Declaration”, which demands a “human-centred approach to the future of work” and establishes among the ILO’s aims that of working to make sure ongoing transformations benefit all workers.
The ILO marks its centenary at a time of transformative change in the world of work, driven by technological innovations, demographic shifts, environmental and climate change, and globalisation, as well “persistent inequalities, which have profound impacts on the nature and future of work, and on the place and dignity of people in it”, according to the declaration adopted.
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