On 20 October 2023, the Republic of North Macedonia deposited the instruments of ratification of the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) and the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) with the Director-General of the ILO. By submitting these instruments of ratification, the Republic of North Macedonia becomes the 52nd ILO member State to ratify Convention No. 160, and the 35th to ratify Convention No. 190.
Convention No. 160 is a landmark instrument for the establishment of modern and integrated systems of labour statistics. Together with its accompanying Recommendation No. 170, Convention No. 160 provides the elements necessary to describe, understand, analyse and plan the many and complex dimensions of the modern economy and of society in general. The Convention addresses the needs of both developed and developing countries and incorporates principles of flexibility and progressivity, permitting member States to accept its provisions incrementally. Importantly, ratifying States commit to sharing labour statistics collected under the Convention with the ILO, thus allowing for the compilation of world-scale data and identification of global trends.
Convention No. 190, together with Recommendation No. 206, is the first international labour standard to address violence and harassment in the world of work. It provides a common framework for action and a unique opportunity to shape a future of work based on dignity and respect. These instruments will be key to achieve the objectives set by the ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work, adopted in 2019, that clearly commits to a world of work free from violence and harassment, and more recently, and by the ILO's Global call to action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient.
In depositing the official instrument of ratification at the ceremony held at the ILO in Geneva, H. E. Ms. Teuta Agai-Demjaha, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of North Macedonia to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva, stated: "It is my honour to deposit today the original of the instrument of ratification regarding the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Convention on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (C. 190) as well as the original of the instrument of ratification to the Convention on Labour Statistics (C.160). By depositing the instrument of ratification of ILO Convention (C. 190), the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia recognizes the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment. I would like to particularly note that this convention includes measures to prevent and address gender-based violence in the world of work. The Convention on Labour Statistics (C.160) stipulates an obligation for member states to prepare and publish labour statistics on various economic and labour indicators".
In receiving the instruments of ratification, ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo thanked the Republic of North Macedonia for the good collaboration and cooperation undertaken with the Office on matters regarding labour statistics and violence and harassment in the world of work. The Director-General saluted North Macedonia's clear commitment to and recognition of the crucial role of labour statistics in monitoring progress under the SDGs and towards the attainment of decent work for social justice. He also underlined the determination of the Republic of North Macedonia to protect and respect human rights and social justice for all and to achieve a world of work free from violence and harassment.
The Director-General also noted: "The ratification of Conventions No. 160 and No. 190 by the Republic of North Macedonia today could not be more synchronous and reflective of ILO's agenda; it coincides with the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS 2023), which marks the 100th year of standard-setting in labour statistics. The ICLS 2023 does not only recognize the importance of Convention No. 160 to inspire the building of solid labour statistics systems, but also dedicated part of its 21st session to discuss, for the first time, the measurement of statistics on violence and harassment in the world of work."
