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XVIII Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML) of the OAS

Place and Date: Medellín, Colombia - November 11 and 12, 2013
Venue: Plaza Mayor Medellín


 

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• Planning Meeting 2014-2015 »
• Documents »
  
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• Preparatory activities »
• Website XVIII IACML- Government of Colombia »
   

OVERVIEW & RESULTS

The XVIII IACML gathered Ministers and delegates from 27 OAS Member States and more than 80 representatives of workers, employers and international organizations, which notably included the Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, the Director General of the ILO, and representatives of PAHO, IDB, the World Bank, CAF, UN Women, IOM, the Inter-American Center for Social Security Studies (CIESS), and the Ibero-American Social Security Organization (OISS).

The theme of the Conference was "50 years of Inter-American dialogue for the promotion of social justice and decent work: progress and challenges towards sustainable development”, and it was hosted by the Minister of Labor of Colombia.

Among the main results the following are noteworthy to mention:

- Election of the Ministry of Labor of Colombia as Chair of the Conference for 2013-2015

- Election of the Ministries of Labor of Argentina and Canada as Chairs of the Working Groups of the Conference, and of Bahamas, the United States, Peru and Barbados as Vice-chairs

- Decision to celebrate the XIX IACML in 2015 in Mexico and election of that country's Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare as future Chair

- The commemoration of the50th Anniversary of the Conference, with the presence of the first Chair of the IACML and former President of Colombia, Belisario Betancur, and the Minister of Labor of Brazil at that time, Almino Affonso.

- The recognition that the IACML, over its half-century of existence, has made important contributions to the institutionalization of social dialogue at the hemispheric level, the strengthening of Ministries of Labor and the positioning of labor and employment policies within national agendas.

- A Roundtable Discussion on Youth Employment was held among attending Ministers of Labor and representatives of youth.

- An Inter-Ministerial Dialogue with authorities of Ministries of Finance of the region was held, strengthening our call for policy coordination.

- The Declaration and Plan of Action of Medellin were adopted, with regional commitments on central topics of the labor agenda:

Youth employment – Commitments in the areas of professional training, employment services and active policies for youth access to the labor market.

Coordination of economic and labor policies Social security – Commitment to exploring ways to design and put forward a hemispheric mechanism that would facilitate the recognition of nominal contributions to social security in all countries of the region.
 
Employment as a central objective of public policies and as a pillar of equality – Emphasis on care for populations in greater vulnerability, promoting the implementation of social protection floors and measures tending to progressive labor formalization.  

Protection of workers’ rights and social dialogue
 

- The region’s workers and employers signed a Joint CEATAL-COSATE Declaration centered on the problem of informality, requesting that it be a priority theme for Ministries.

- Reflecting the spirit of collaboration at the IACML, the ILO, UN Women and other organizations launched the Regional Report on Gender Equality and Decent Work, reinforcing this theme which has been of particular importance for the Conference. The book “Better Pensions, Better Jobs” by IDB was presented.

 - The delegations highlighted the importance of the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL) and the concrete benefits that it has achieved. They reiterated their commitment to supporting it.
 

DOCUMENTS ADOPTED DURING THE XVIII IACML

• Declaration of Medellin
  - Versão em Português
  - Version Française
  
  
• Plan of Action of Medellin
  - Versão em Português
  - Version Française   
  
  
• Resolution 1: Vote of thanks to the people and Government of Colombia
  - Versão em Português
  - Version Française
  
  
• Resolution 2: Support for the peace process in Colombia
  - Versão em Português
  - Version Français

DOCUMENTS OF COSATE AND CEATAL  
• Declaration of COSATE
   
• Declaration of CEATAL
   
• Declararion of COSATE and CEATAL
  - Versão em Português
  - Version Français
   
• Other documents
   

• First Preparatory Meeting
  April 19, 2013 in Nassau, The Bahamas
  more information >>
  
  
• Second Preparatory Meeting
  September 18 to 20, 2013 in Washington D.C.
  more information >>