From June 10-14, Special Representative for International Labor Affairs (SRILA) Kelly Fay Rodríguez traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to join the Department of Labor's Deputy Undersecretary for International Labor Affairs Thea Lee in representing the United States at the 112th International Labor Conference, the International Labor Organization's annual conference. During the conference's inaugural Forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, a session highlighting concrete collaborative actions for social justice, Deputy Undersecretary Lee and SRILA Fay Rodríguez promoted recent U.S. actions on labor rights and President Biden's Memorandum on Advancing Workers' Rights, Empowerment, and High Labor Standards Globally .
The Conference addressed a wide range of issues, including the protection of workers against the effects of climate change and biological hazards, the care economy, and fundamental principles and rights at work. SRILA Fay Rodríguez delivered remarks on behalf of the United States supporting ILO efforts to fund emergency relief for Palestinian workers impacted by the crisis. The U.S. government delegation also joined over 250 partners in the inaugural Forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice, alongside U.S. workers and employers, and emphasized the importance of freedom of association and collective bargaining to achieving social justice.
