European Union

What is the EU?

The EU is a unique economic and political union of 28 Member States that together cover much of the European continent.

The EU’s governing body is the European Commission (EC) which helps to shape the EU's overall strategy, proposes new EU laws and policies, monitors their implementation and manages the EU budget. It also plays a significant role in supporting international development and delivering aid.

Why are the EU and the EC relevant to IOE members?

Partnership with the EU is relevant for the IOE and its members because it supports private sector development and seeks to strengthen the capacity of employers’ organisations, as set out in the following documents: “A stronger role of the private sector in achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in developing countries” (2014) and “The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe’s engagement with Civil Society in external relations” (2012). 

What is the IOE’s position on the EU?

The IOE and the EU enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship and collaborate constructively on the achievement of shared goals across a range of areas.

How does the IOE’s engagementwith the EU advance the IOE agenda?

The IOE is implementing a joint initiative with the EC Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) entitled “Strengthening the capacity of the International Organisation of Employers as a global representative employers’ organisation and of national member organisations, particularly in least developed countries (LDCs)”.  The collaboration aims to achieve greater coherence, consistency and impact of IOE actions; improve information flow and advocacy work; improve dialogue and the involvement of IOE members in EU development issues; and strengthen cooperation with other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), thus contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 17 to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development”.

The formal partnership agreement signed between the IOE and the EU in June 2018 means additional support for IOE efforts to enhance the capacities and services of independent and autonomous employers’ organisations to foster an enabling environment for business; to advance inclusive and sustainable development; and to promote responsible business conduct in an increasingly globalised world.

Additional joint IOE-EU activities include areas of interest endorsed by IOE members, including international labour migration, trade and employment, social dialogue and occupational safety and health.

Business Response to Covid-19

The Business and Industry Major Group hosted a digital conference on the Business Response to Covid-19.

The distinguished panel discussed how critical it was that both private and public sectors work together on tackling the many challenges around this crisis.

Scott Ratzan, Director, BPSD discussed the evidence around the pandemic and summarized the various partners’ roles and responsibilities. He statedstressed that Business plays a critical role in responding to this crisis and its aftermath. Indeed,and tha Employers are key in the communication around the coronavirus. They are considered the most credible source of information, according to a recent Edelman ten-country study; accurate information on travel bans, quarantines, personal protection efforts, and social distancing is essential.

Roberto Suárez Santos, IOE Secretary-General, highlighted the importance of partnership between social partners and governments during this unprecedented time. In fact, IOE was currently working closely with ITUC, B20, G7, ILO, IMF to coordinate responses. He referred to the recent estimates by the ILO on job loss that ranged from 5.3 million at the low level to 24.7 million at the higher level and stated reskilling of employees for possible new jobs would be critical. Companies were responding to the crisis in many ways from encouraging teleworking, issuing Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) advice and guidance to revising paid leave and sick policies.

Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth and Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome and Mastercard committed recently up to $125 million in seed funding to speed-up the response to the Covid-19 epidemic by identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling-up treatments. She stressed that the partners were committed to equitable access, including making products available and affordable in low-resource settings with an emphasis on countries in most need.  

 

 

Business Response to Covid-19

The Business and Industry Major Group hosted a digital conference on the Business Response to Covid-19.

The distinguished panel discussed how critical it was that both private and public sectors work together on tackling the many challenges around this crisis.

Scott Ratzan, Director, BPSD discussed the evidence around the pandemic and summarized the various partners’ roles and responsibilities. He statedstressed that Business plays a critical role in responding to this crisis and its aftermath. Indeed,and tha Employers are key in the communication around the coronavirus. They are considered the most credible source of information, according to a recent Edelman ten-country study; accurate information on travel bans, quarantines, personal protection efforts, and social distancing is essential.

Roberto Suárez Santos, IOE Secretary-General, highlighted the importance of partnership between social partners and governments during this unprecedented time. In fact, IOE was currently working closely with ITUC, B20, G7, ILO, IMF to coordinate responses. He referred to the recent estimates by the ILO on job loss that ranged from 5.3 million at the low level to 24.7 million at the higher level and stated reskilling of employees for possible new jobs would be critical. Companies were responding to the crisis in many ways from encouraging teleworking, issuing Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) advice and guidance to revising paid leave and sick policies.

Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth and Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome and Mastercard committed recently up to $125 million in seed funding to speed-up the response to the Covid-19 epidemic by identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling-up treatments. She stressed that the partners were committed to equitable access, including making products available and affordable in low-resource settings with an emphasis on countries in most need.  

 

 

International Investment Agreements and Human Rights

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IOE Position Paper (April 2021)

2017 IOE Forum on Diverse Forms of Work

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Report, Geneva, June 2017

African Social Partners Jobs & Skills Summit - Call for Action on Employment

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Algiers - 22-23 April 2017

African Social Partners' Jobs & Skills Summit

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Algiers, 22-23 April 2017 - Summary Report

41st Annual Meeting of Employers' Organisations from East, Central & Southern Africa, Namibia

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14-15 February 2017 - Report

IOE Brief - understanding the Future of Work

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Full Publication

Launch of the Jobs for Africa Foundation

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3 Nov. 2016

Small Business, Big Impact

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IOE-GRI booklet on sustainability reporting for SMEs

The IOE and the European Commission

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IOE Fact Sheet

IOE address

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