South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa is to preside over a summit on the Future of Work as part of the 107th edition of the International Labour Conference scheduled to take place between May 28 and June 8, 2018 in Swiss city of Geneva.
The South African President, himself a former Labour leader will co-Chair the summit with the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the summit is expected to make recommendations for a rapidly transforming world of work.
A statement on the ILO website said the global body is assessing the rapid transformations taking place in the world of work, identifying the key challenges and what must be done to make the future of work better and fairer.
The South African President was quoted as saying that “The Global Commission is grappling with one of the most important and pressing challenges of the modern global economy. If we are to improve the lives of people across the world, we need to prepare collectively for a new world of work”.
An excited ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said “I am delighted that President Ramaphosa has accepted to co-chair the Global Commission on the Future of Work. South Africa and the ILO have a very close relationship, and I am sure that the South African President will bring to the Commission’s work the values of freedom and dialogue that he has defended his whole life. They are key to the future of work we want and a global economy that works for all.”
Ramaphosa replaces Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of the Republic of Mauritius, who resigned from her chairmanship earlier this year.