Urgent action is required to translate the promise of women’s rights at work into reality across the globe, the head of the United Nations’ labour agency has declared.
In a statement to mark International Women’s Day, Gilbert F. Houngbo, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), emphasised the critical need to close the gender pay gap, strengthen maternity protection, and guarantee safe workplaces free from violence and harassment. He also called for the expansion of care systems to ensure that every woman can work in dignity and equality.
“This International Women’s Day, the ILO reaffirms a clear commitment: women’s rights at work must be fully realised – in law, in practice, and in every workplace,” Mr. Houngbo said. “Gender equality will not happen through promises alone. It requires action.”
The ILO chief stressed that workplaces must be safe havens, free from violence and harassment, and that robust maternity protection constitutes a fundamental right. He added that workers with family responsibilities must be supported, and care systems designed to allow everyone to enter, remain in, and advance within the labour market.
Mr. Houngbo also highlighted the critical importance of access to justice, stating: “Women must be able to organise, claim their rights, and be heard.” He noted that international labour standards provide a solid framework for this, enshrining principles on freedom of association, non-discrimination, equal pay, maternity protection, workplace safety, and freedom from violence and harassment.
Concluding his address, Mr. Houngbo framed gender equality not merely as a matter of rights and fairness, but as sound economic sense. “Societies are stronger and economies more resilient when women can contribute fully,” he said. “Today, we must turn commitments into results. We need urgency. We need accountability. We need more action now so that every woman, everywhere, can work in dignity and equality.”
