26 Jun 2024

Botswana prides itself as one of the countries which strives as much as possible to live up to its commitment to implement Conventions of International Labour Organization (ILO), Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Ms Anna Mokgethi says.

Speaking at a media brief following the 112th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, she said it was necessary to ratify conventions and live up to them as a country.

Ms Mokgethi said Botswana was working with ILO for possible ratification of Occupational Health and Safety Conventions (C155 and C187), declared as fundamental conventions by ILO in 2022.

“Whilst we cannot claim to be fully achieving each and every expectation under all the ratified conventions, we are committed to making sure that, as a country we domesticate and implement all those already ratified,” she said.

She further said the world was a global village where each country guaranteed its global competitiveness by demonstrating claim to be the best in terms of Investment destination, progressive labour administration, transparency and openness to labour movements.

Ms Mokgethi said these attributes guaranteed investors’ safety and possible business growth. She said Botswana invested time and energy on ensuring stability and cordial relationship with the Social partners in the Trade Union Federations membership.

Whilst attending the ILC session, Ms Mokgethi delivered a country statement to the convention, which responded to the ILO’s Director General’s appeal that there should be a movement towards the ‘renewal of the social contract’ towards the Second World Social Summit, to  be held in 2025.

“In my statement, I emphasised how deeply Botswana was committed to social development. The DG’s appeal for the renewal of the social contract is consistent with our aspirations as a country as outlined in the National Development Plans and Vision 2036.

Social contracts are necessary because they define how our needs will be addressed throughout our lives, including access to essential services, work opportunities, and social protection,” Ms Mokgethi said.

Whilst unemployment among the youth is common especially in the developing countries, Ms Mokgethi said efforts of engaging ILO to assist in improving the situation were largely recognised. She said ILC approved a resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy, which included a request for the director general to prepare a plan of action on decent work and the care economy to support the committee’s conclusions and to take those conclusions into account in future ILO programme and budget proposals.

Furthermore, Ms Mokgethi said the ministry had created a new department of employment with the aim of confronting issues of employment. She said an employment policy had been developed to guide creation of employment in this country.

“Attending ILC as a collective gave us opportunity to receive knowledge and access to emerging trends equally,” she said.

She said she had an opportunity for a bilateral meeting with the ILO Assistant Director and Regional Director for Africa, where she expressed gratitude for the assistance Botswana received and continued to receive from ILO.

“I also urged ILO to increase the number of Botswana citizens employed within the organisation and to make the internship programme more accessible to citizens of underrepresented nations, such as Botswana,” Ms Mokgethi said. ENDS