The International Labour Organization (ILO) has elected the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to a titular membership of its Governing Body (2021-2024). The elections were held on Monday 14 June 2021 as part of the 109th session of the International Labour Conference, which is virtually held between 3-19 June 2021.
The announcement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's election follows the Kingdom's contribution as a deputy member during 2017-2020; which was exceptionally extended for an additional year due to the pandemic. Moreover, since joining the ILO in 1976 the Kingdom was previously elected for a titular seat for the periods (1982, 1985, and 1998), which gave it significant experience in the handling of international labour issues, and has enabled it to obtain the full support of the member states of the ILO to get this new distinguished election.
On this occasion, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi explained how this election is an outcome of the Saudi leadership's continuous efforts to support the labour market and workers in the Kingdom, especially in facing the unprecedented challenges related to the pandemic, in addition to the Kingdom's successful G20 presidency last year.
This election reflects the growing confidence the Kingdom enjoys regionally and internationally, especially in the field of consolidating labour values, and the appreciation and recognition of the ILO member states of its efforts and achievements on the international labour front.
It is worth noting that according to Paragraph (5) of Article (7) of the ILO Constitution, elections are held to determine the members of the organization's Governing Body every three years.
The member states of the organization elect members during the International Labour Conference for the three teams (government, employers, Laborers).
As a titular member, Saudi Arabia has voting rights on ILO policies and procedures. Since joining the ILO in 1976, Saudi Arabia has been playing an effective role in all the activities of the organization through its annual participation in the conference bodies from technical committees specialized in presenting the Kingdom's experiences when formulating international labour standards, as well as in the membership of its main bodies such as the Governing Body of the International Labour Office and its annual contribution to the organization's budget.
