The current spike in global food prices is attracting attention globally but not to the extent that it requires. World food prices surged to a new historic peak in January, for the seventh consecutive month, according to the updated Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Food Price Index, a commodity basket that […]
National Floor Level : Minimum Wage in India
There are 340 million workers in the unorganised sector in India who are not covered by any social security measures, including the Minimum Wage Act 1948. In order to have a uniform wage structure and to reduce the disparity in minimum wages across the country, a concept of National Floor […]
Tackling child labour in tobacco farming in Malawi
Former Global March intern, George Mwika Kayange, is calling on the government of Malawi to table the long-awaited Tobacco Tenancy Bill during the forthcoming sitting of the country’s parliament. Labour Minister Yunus Mussa hinted at such a development in an interview in national newspapers earlier this month and the Child […]
Human Rights Watch World Report 2011: A Façade of Action
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published its 21st Annual World Report summarising human rights conditions in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. It reflects extensive investigative work undertaken in 2010 by Human Rights Watch staff, usually in close partnership with domestic human rights activists. According to HRW, with increasing […]
Global March celebrates its 13th anniversary
17 January 2011: Thirteen years after setting out from Manila on a worldwide movement against child labour, the Global March marks its anniversary today with the goal of building on important developments in 2010 in raising the profile of child labour on the international development agenda. Since its launch on […]
Speak Up – Stop Discrimination!
The international community observes Human Rights Day every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, it was proclaimed as a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and […]
Concern over situation in Ivory Coast as UN pulls out
7 December 2010: Faced with rising political and civil tensions in Ivory Coast following the dramatic outcome of the presidential election, the United Nations has today announced a withdrawal of non-essential staff from various agencies into neighbouring Gambia and Senegal. Some multinational companies, including cocoa exporters, have also withdrawn some […]
Marking the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 2, 2010: The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is annually observed on December 2 to remind people that modern slavery works against human rights. The day also encourages people to put meaning to the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “no […]
European multinationals attack minimum wage in Vietnam
The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Mr John Monks has described as “totally unacceptable” the position of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) threatening withdrawal of European investment in the country if minimum wages are raised. The General Secretary of the International Trade Union […]
Global South-South Development Expo 2010 concludes at ILO
For over 30 years, South-South Cooperation (SSC) has been part of the UN strategy for advancing regional development agendas in the South. Enabling developing countries to take greater control of regional and national progress, it is now more critical than ever as the world tackles challenges such as food insecurity, […]