Monday, June 22, 2009

IFC-ILO Better Work partnership scales up to improve labor standards in developing countries


IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are scaling up their Better Work partnership to help raise labor standards in global supply chains, which will improve the lives of about 1.2 million workers in developing countries.

The two institutions today signed a new cooperation agreement that will consolidate efforts to improve labor standards and continue to promote the business case for better working conditions. This will allow the Better Work Program to respond more quickly to changes in market conditions in this time of crisis.

“This new structure solidifies the partnership between the ILO and IFC and streamlines the management process so that Better Work can effectively expand activities to continue improving labor standards in global supply chains,” said George Dragnich, ILO Executive Director for Social Dialogue. “Better Work is an important contribution to implementing the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda and especially important in this time of economic crisis which puts workers and their families at risk.”

See full Press Release.