UN, September 24. /TASS/. Russia made a major contribution to the work of the International Labour Organization (ILO), especially to reducing unemployment among young people, ILO Director General Guy Ryder said speaking at a high-level event on youth employment on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
“Youth unemployment continues to be, perhaps, the most serious challenge to the future of work,” he said. As Ryder emphasized, "those who are young are two to three times more likely to be unemployed than other people in labour markets."
The ILO director general stated that employers often do not comply with standards when it comes to young employees. As he noted, the ILO "launched several initiatives", including UN's Global Initiative on Decent Jobs For Youth. Ryder, in particular, stated that this year the International Labour Organization marked a centenary. In June the International Labour Conference adopted the ILO Centenary Declaration, "providing a new roadmap for the ILO's work," which was endorsed and welcomed by the UN General Assembly.
As Ryder emphasized, "the Russian Federation in this centenary year, as it always has, has made a very important contribution to the ILO's work". Ryder pointed out that "the concept of the humanization of labor", worked out by Russia, has made a very important contribution to the organization's work. The ILO director general noted that the implementation of the "practical goals" declared by the organization was facilitated by the WorldSkills World Championship that "took place very impressively in Kazan". The ILO chief also hailed Russia as the organization's "close ally", adding that the bilateral cooperation has become "strong and well-coordinated".
The high-level event was held jointly by the Russian Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the ILO, and Lukoil. It was attended by the Russia's envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexei Cherkasov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs Yaroslav Nilov, as well as by representatives of Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Ecuador and South Africa. In particular, the delegates exchanged views on education and employment initiatives.