A team from the International Labour Organization (ILO) met with representatives
from the Ministry of Labour in preparation for Guyana's hosting of the 12th ILO
Meeting of Caribbean Ministers of Labour in May from the 23rd-25th.
The last meeting was held in Barbados four years ago. As such, hosting the meeting in
the country is a great achievement, especially given the tremendous development that
has taken place in Guyana under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan
Ali.
Following the country's selection to host this historic meeting, several deliberations
among the relevant authorities were held in order to provide well-planned and
successful meetings for those involved.
Hon. Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Labour, Mr. Bishram Kuppen, Permanent Secretary;
Ms. Gwyneth King, Occupational Safety and Health Consultant; Ms. Yolanda Grant,
Chief, Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency; Mr. Dhaneswar Deonarine, Chief
Labour Officer; and Ambassador Ivan Evelyn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation, Chief of Protocol, attended Friday morning’s meeting.
Mr. Lars Johansen, Deputy Director of the International Labour Organization; Ms.
Ingerlyn Caines-Francis, Senior Programme Officer; Ms. Resel Melville, Project
Coordinator; and Ms. Jennifer Jones-Morales, Senior Operations Officer and Security
Focal Point, were among the delegation members.
The meeting serves as a forum for a more in-depth discussion of Caribbean Labour
Ministers’ and Social Partners’ contributions to, and leadership roles in, the proposed
Global Coalition on Social Justice.
This includes consultation with key regional social partners, establishing priorities and
key strategies for ILO support for Just Transition in the 2024-2025 biennium, and
developing Quality Apprenticeship frameworks.
In addition, the meeting will review previous Ministerial Meetings and their
conclusions, including a briefing on ILO support provided to Constituents during the
pandemic and in the current recovery stage.
Over the last three years, the ILO Caribbean Office has focused much of its technical
assistance on strategic and practical interventions in areas ranging from labour market
research and skills development to social security and enterprise development, all of
which help Member States integrate the Decent Work Agenda into how Caribbean
labour markets prepare for, cope with, and recover from crises.
This approach is consistent with the four priority areas established in the UNMSDCF for
English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries for the period 2022–2026.
The ILO Director General’s revised proposal for a Global Coalition on Social Justice,
which aims to “contribute to the reduction and prevention of inequalities as well as
ensure that social justice is prioritised in national, regional, and global policymaking
and activities, including in development cooperation as well as financial, trade, and
investment agreements,” provides an opportunity for Caribbean Labour Ministries to
contribute invaluable perspectives and insights from their experiences and challenges.
