Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
The International Labor Organization was created in 1919, in the
wake of World War I, with the purpose of creating an international
institution that could bring governments, employers and workers
together to improve living and working conditions and help preserve
social stability in the post-war order. As the sole remaining
component of the League of Nations, the ILO is the only
"tripartite" member of the UN system, and the only UN agency
dedicated to labor issues. But in recent years, the ILO has
lost its sense of direction, venturing into climate change, the
global food crisis, and even the current financial crisis.
Can the ILO be saved from itself? What is its proper role
in addressing the labor dimension of globalization? What more
could the ILO be doing to promote workforce development, help
countries develop real-life solutions to the labor challenges they
face, and advance freedom in places like Burma, Belarus, and
Iran?
Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs Charlotte
(Charlie) Ponticelli will address the current challenges facing the
ILO and outline steps the next Administration could take to help
the ILO return to its core mission.
More About the Speakers
Charlotte Ponticelli
Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs,
U.S. Department of Labor
Hosted By
Brett Schaefer
Jay Kingham Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs
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