ILO Governing Body agrees on key occupational safety and health discussion at International Labour Conference 2022

An amendment to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, to include occupational safety and health, will be discussed during the 110th session of the International Labour Conference.

The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) has taken an important step towards the possible inclusion of occupational safety and health as a fundamental principle and right at work.

It agreed that the matter will be further discussed at the 110th International Labour Conference, in June 2022.

If adopted, the proposed amendment would indicate that all ILO Member States would have an obligation to respect and promote safe and healthy working conditions in the same manner and with the same level of commitment as the four principles currently covered by the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

These existing categories are freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced or compulsory labour, the abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Adopted in 1998, the ILO Declaration commits Member States to respect and promote these fundamental principles and rights at work whether or not they have ratified the relevant Conventions.

The decision of the Governing Body is in line with the commitments made in the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, adopted in 2019 to promote a human-centred approach to the future of work.