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25 to 28 January 2023

First official visit to Africa by ILO Director-General Houngbo

During his stay, he will hold talks with Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, as well as with the Senegalese authorities in charge of labour issues.

News | 25 January 2023
DAKAR (ILO News) – The Director-General of the ILO, Gilbert F. Houngbo, the first African to hold this post, will be in Dakar, Senegal, on an official visit from 25 to 28 January 2023.

The first visit to Senegal by the Director-General of the ILO will be an opportunity to discuss with the Senegalese authorities, employers and trade unions the main current issues in the world of work and to present his project for a Global Coalition for Social Justice.

Houngbo will meet with the Ministers in charge of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training, Handicrafts and the Informal Sector. He will also meet with the social partners (Employers' and Workers' Organisations) and the UN System "Country Team".

Issues to be discussed include: decent employment, in particular for youth and women, labour migration and protection of migrant workers, extension of social protection, formalization of the informal economy, crises and social dialogue, and respect of international labour standards.

Houngbo is also expected to speak about the Global Coalition for Social Justice, an initiative to promote the prioritization of social justice and inequality reduction in national and global policymaking, as well as in development cooperation, financial, trade and investment agreements.

The ILO Director-General will also visit the artisanal village of Soumbédioune, on the western coast of Dakar, where he plans to meet with the artisans who are beneficiaries of an ILO-Belgium project that works to build robust national social protection systems to cover workers in the informal economy and their families, facilitate their access to health care and enable them to face the challenges of tomorrow in Senegal.

The press are invited to cover the various activities of this visit. The ILO Director-General will hold a press conference at the end of his visit on Friday 27 January from 7.30 pm to 9 pm at the Raddison Blu Hotel in Dakar.

Press contacts:

  • Mr. Ousmane Diallo, Communication Assistant of the ILO Office in Dakar, Email: dialloo@ilo.org, Tel 776418461
  • Mr Alegnesy Bies, Communication Officer of the Ministry of Labour, Social Dialogue, Professional Organisations and Relations with Institutions, Email: alegbies@gmail.com, Tel 776423456