The Philippines is set to participate in the 113th International Labor Conference (ILC) to be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The conference will bring together a tripartite delegation representing governments, workers, and employers from the 187 member states of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma will lead the Philippine delegation, which includes officials of the Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, the Department of Migrant Workers, some members of the House of Representatives, and delegates representing the workers and employer sectors.

This year’s conference, which runs until 13 June, aims to reinforce the connection between jobs, rights, and growth through the ILO’s international standards-setting and technical cooperation mechanisms.

The conference is expected to adopt a new standard on biological hazards in the world of work, take up ways to facilitate the transition of workers from the informal to the formal economy, and start discussions and consideration of a new instrument on platform work.

Laguesma is scheduled to address the plenary sitting of the conference on 10 June, where he is expected to highlight the Philippines’ commitment to promoting decent work through international labor standards and advancing inclusive labor policies and social justice.

He also announced the election of the Philippines, to be represented by DOLE Undersecretary Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio Jr., as chair of the Committee on Platform Work.

The committee aims to devise standards on work relationships that use digital platforms, a subject which, to date, is not directly covered by any ILO instrument.

During the conference, Laguesma will also address the Asia-Pacific Labor Ministers’ Meeting and the 2nd Annual Forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, and join an informal meeting of ASEAN labor ministers.

The Philippine government delegation will also hold bilateral meetings with key international partners to strengthen cooperation in skills development, industrial relations, social protection, and other labor and employment priorities.

The ILC serves as the ILO’s highest decision-making body, shaping international labor standards and guiding national and global development agendas on job creation, fair working conditions, and social protection.

Laguesma said that the Philippines has been proactively engaged on ILO matters, especially in the last three years, having formulated and implemented the tripartite roadmap to address issues concerning freedom of association and the right to organize, ratified two key ILO conventions (Convention 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work and Convention 81 on labor inspection), resumed membership in the ILO’s Governing Body, and become a member of the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association and the board of the International Training Center in Turin, Italy.

All these underscore the government’s firm commitment to international labor standards and its readiness to assume more leadership and strategic roles in the multilateral system.