ILO Open Day Showcases The Wide-Ranging Work Of The Organization

Nearly 1,600 people descended on the headquarters of the International Labour Organization on 15 October for its first Open Day in 100 years. Ranging from new-borns to seniors – including 700 children from local schools – a constant stream of visitors had the chance to take part in a range of activities. These included a virtual reality experience that plunged them into an artisanal mine in Ghana, where the ILO and its local partners have successfully taken children out of child labour. They also played the ‘Decent Work Game’ – A role-play game that gives an insight into forced labour, child labour, gender equality and disability in the workplace.

Experts were on hand to answer questions on the wide range of issues that the ILO tackles, such as green jobs, International Labour Standards, social protection and skills, among others. While the Centenary  photo exhibition highlighted the ILO’s achievements of the past 100 years and visitors had the chance to look at some of the organization’s historic documents, Albert the robot gave a flavour of an increasingly automated future of work .

“We’re extremely pleased with the success of our first Open Day,” said Martin Murphy, Director of the ILO’s Department of Communication and Public Information. “It was an opportunity to showcase the impact of the ILO on everyone’s lives and to give visitors an opportunity to understand the issues we all face in the world of work.”