ILO Events

As Heads of State and Government gather at the UN General Assembly in New York to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the ILO World of Work Show will discuss where we stand on the 17 SDGs and what more needs to be done to achieve them. The show will also offer a sneak peek at the ILO’s soon to be launched campaign - “This Way to Social Justice - which aims to help combat inequalities for a greener, healthier and more sustainable future for all.

The United Nations will convene the SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023 at its Headquarters in New York, during the General Assembly high-level week. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at midpoint, world leaders will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions towards the target year of 2030. To generate additional opportunities for the engagement of all actors, the United Nations is convening an SDG Action Weekend on 16-17 September 2023 which will consist of the SDG Mobilization Day on Saturday, 16 September, and the SDG Acceleration Day on Sunday, 17 September, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Read more about the SDG Summit

The ILO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) have collaborated to produce a new report on Eye Health and the World of Work, drawing attention to healthy vision as being integral to safety and productivity at work. Work-related visual impairments affect around 13 million workers globally. Visual impairments can lead to decreased access to decent work, hinder inclusion and pose a threat to workers' long-term health and well-being. People with visual impairments experience a 30% decrease in employment. Poor eye health has a negative impact not only on those directly affected but also on the global economy, costing $411 billion annually in lost productivity, according to The Lancet Global Health Commission.

SPARK is a nationwide competition designed for Sri Lanka's upcoming generation of entrepreneurs. It invites young innovators, thinkers, disruptors, and problem-solvers between the ages of 15 and 24 to present their ideas and solutions addressing the most urgent challenges of our era. Having received hundreds of applications, the competition used a comprehensive shortlisting procedure, involving virtual training, in-person boot camps, and mentoring sessions. The Grand Finale will hear the final five contestants who have successfully navigated this process.

The ILO's largest interdisciplinary and international forum for labour regulation research- proposing transformative policies and innovative solutions. Visit the official website of the 8th Regulating for Decent Work Conference

This online event will disseminate the conclusions of analytical briefs on Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda and a cross-country review on youth employment, school-to-work transition and the impact of COVID-19 on youth labour market outcomes in the African region. It will also underpin the ongoing engagements on promoting decent work for youth in the African region, and explore possibilities for shaping follow up actions in line with the ILO’s Youth Employment Action Plan (YEAP) 2020-30.

The International Symposium, convened by the ILO, UNICEF, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the European Union, brings together policymakers, social partners, civil society, and development partners to discuss the innovative practices and strategies for building sustainable and rights-based social protection systems resulting from the Social Protection & Public Finance Management Programme (SP&PFM).

On the sidelines of the World of Work Summit, ILO live interviewed attending labour ministers and heads of international organizations to find out what they feel needs to be done to achieve social justice for all.

The World of Work Summit 2023: Social Justice for All is a high-level forum for global voices to address the need for increased, coordinated and coherent action in support of social justice. It will provide an opportunity to discuss and inform the proposal to forge a Global Coalition for Social Justice, which was welcomed by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office at its 347th Session (March 2023). The 2-day Summit will highlight the key role of social justice in creating a more sustainable and equitable world and will discuss strategies for increased and better-aligned joint action to advance social justice and ensure policy coherence. It will provide a forum for participants to share their vision of, and priorities for, social justice and to showcase the actions they are taking and they commit to take to advance social justice. It is expected that the outcomes of the Summit will inform discussions in other multilateral forums of the centrality of and strategies to achieve greater social justice, such as, in 2023, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, the G20 and the summits of the BRICS countries. The Summit features: - Addresses by Heads of State and Government, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the ILO Director-General and high-level representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations. - Four panel discussions with high-level representatives of governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations, UN entities and other international organizations to leverage capacities and improve coordination and policy coherence to increase the scale and impact of actions towards social justice across the multilateral system and beyond. Interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and international sign language. Agenda of the World of Work Summit

The International Labour Organization will hold its 111th annual International Labour Conference in Geneva from 5–16 June 2023. Worker, employer and government delegates from the ILO's 187 Member States will tackle a wide range of issues, including: a just transition towards sustainable and inclusive economies, quality apprenticeships, and labour protection.