Public interactive event with Yolanda Díaz Pérez

Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, friends and colleagues. A warm welcome from the headquarters of the International Labour Organization here in Geneva, from where we are broadcasting the public interactive event with the three candidates for the post of Director-General of the ILO. My name is Matthew Wilson, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados here in Geneva and the Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body for the period June 2026 to June 2027. It is in this second capacity that I've been asked to facilitate this public interactive event today with the three candidates to the post of Director-General of the ILO for the period 2027 to 2032. Our program for today will consist of interviews with the three candidates in the following order. Miss Yolanda Diaz Perez from Spain. Welcome Minister. Mister Gilbert Hungbo from Togo. And Mister Javier Gonzalez Olashia Franco from Peru. You will find additional information about the candidates on the election website. the purpose of this public interactive event is to enhance the transparency and the inclusivity of the election process and to give a broader audience an opportunity to get to know the candidates as you know the director general elect will take office on 1st of October 2027 The interviews can be followed on ILO Live in any of the seven ILO working languages, and recordings of the interviews will be available on the platform by the end of the day for those who are unable to follow them live. Each interview will last up to 80 minutes and will begin with a brief presentation by the candidate, followed by 16 questions, eight from government representatives, four from employer representatives, and four from worker representatives. Those asking questions have been selected by their respective ILO constituent groups. The order in which they will be invited to put their questions is available on the web page dedicated to the appointment of the Director-General of the ILO, and will also be displayed on the screens. I ask all of you who will be putting questions to the candidates to be ready well before your turn to ensure the smooth running of the interviews. Those participating remotely will be given the floor online when it's their turn to put a question. And I would ask them to keep microphones switched off until they're given the floor. And I also ask you to keep your cell phones switched off. I'd also like to remind those putting questions to be clear, concise, precise, and respectful, and to keep their questions within the one-minute time limit. To help everyone keep track of time, a countdown will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, and 10 seconds before the end of the minute, The clock will turn yellow and a bell will sound to invite speakers to conclude their questions. Candidates will have three minutes to answer each question. I trust that all participants will respect these time limits and that it will not be necessary to interrupt any question or answer. I really do hope that you will find these public dialogues useful and that they will contribute to a greater understanding of the work of the ILO, as well as how the candidates envisage shaping the future of the organization and strengthening its role in advancing social justice and decent work in a rapidly changing world. Before we begin, let me also mention that candidates may choose to use a presentation during their introductory remarks. And if you experience any technical difficulties while following the event online, please report them in writing to reloff@ilo.org. That's R-E-L-O-F-F@ilo.org. Please do not use the Zoom chat to report technical issues. Let me now warmly welcome our first candidate, Miss Yolanda Diaz Perez of Spain. And before I begin, let me again ask everyone in the room to remain seated and as silent as possible throughout the interview so as to not disturb the webcast or the candidate. Those participating online are kindly asked to keep their microphones switched off unless they're given the floor. But I'd also like to let you know that there will be a 10 minute break at the end of the interview. Ms. Diaz-Perez, I should now like to invite you to begin the interview with a brief presentation of your candidature, not exceeding five minutes. You have the floor, madam.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson. Allow me to extend my gratitude first and foremost to the workers of the ILO. I know that they've had a tough time and thanks to them, we have reached this point. Thank you for your work. I would like to recall a date. Remember the 10th of May, 1944, when we were in the midst of the Second World War. This house, the ILO, had to leave this continent and moved to Montreal. And despite the grave period they had to live through, 40 countries were able to come together, meet, sit down, and achieve something very important for the world, agree upon the Philadelphia Declaration with two key mandates, that there could be no prolonged, long-lasting peace without social justice, and the fact that work was not a good to be traded. These understandings of our basic mandate amidst a crisis of multilateralism are today more relevant than ever before. Those members were not able to stop time. They simply got down to business. Eight years have passed since then. And though history is not necessarily repeating itself, the emergency being faced by the ILO today is of the utmost seriousness. This is the backdrop for my candidacy, and I want to be clear. I am standing in the knowledge of the fact that the ILO is in danger, and I want to defend it, just as the employers and the unions want to defend it. just as governments who believe in the multilateral system want to defend it. Defence of the ILO today is more necessary than ever. But if I may humbly say, my experience as a lawyer and a professional in this arena for many years and my involvement in the work of the Spanish government has provided useful background for crisis management. I have had to deal with a number of crises. My country's GDP fell 11 points at one point, and I undertook key reforms that led to Spain's record employment rates today and the highest growing economy in the OECD, with the major advances in the EU and progress on the social economy, Interalia. A continuity approach is not an option. The ILO is suffering two major crises. One is financial. We have a deficit of $363 million. And it's not true to say that this crisis is simply the result of the failure to contribute by one constituent. That is not true, I have to say, because that is not the case across the system, but other organizations, such as the WHO, preempted the crisis. They were able to steer a path through it. We are also seeing a crisis in terms of backsliding of labor rights and social justice across the world, meaning that there is a need to relaunch the ILO. There is also a productivity crisis underway. There is a backslide in productivity worldwide. That is why we need a plan to modernize the ILO to address the problems of our age. I would like to conclude by saying that I understand the huge extent of the challenge ahead in dealing with this crisis. 85 years ago, Frances Perkins from the US did two very important things for the world. Firstly, She ensured that the US was involved in the international conference. She was also the first woman in the Roosevelt government to chair the international conference. This was a key individual. As a woman myself, I know what it is to steer a crisis. I have managed crises. Women such as Frances Perkins gave their all to ensure that this organization could have its place and play its role in the history of decent work. I want to follow that path, the path of so many men and women who have worked to build the ILO through social dialogue, through agreement. Agreement can be possible, defending employment and jobs through rights. Under my leadership, 30 major social dialogue agreements have been concluded, almost all of them on a tripartite basis. And I can say that this is possible. And this is why I think I am well placed to move the ILO forward in its future.

Muchas gracias, Mr. Diaz-Perez. You did not even go over by one second. Thank you so much for respecting that. I very much appreciate that. Colleagues, now we are going to go to the question and answer part of the dialogue. And the first representative is Mr. Matthias Thorns on behalf of the employers group. Please.

Thank you, Chair, and welcome to you, Vice President. It's my honor to present the first question on behalf of the employers group and the IUE vice presidents from different regions will then pose the other three questions online. Vice president, as you seek election, what would be your top priorities and what would you be prepared to deprioritize, which is even equally important, given the organization's limited budget and the need to make the ILO more agile, effective and responsive to the changing world of work and the changing needs of constituents. What should we expect to see differently to the current ILO? Thank you.

Thank you. And let me just say that if there's ever a need for the question to be repeated, you just let me know. Over to you, please.

Thank you very much. Mr. Tones, for your question, I think that really is a question we need to ask ourselves. Firstly, on a pragmatic basis, first and foremost, we have to deal with this serious financial crisis that is rocking this house. There are two things we need to do. We need to look short term, firstly, ensuring that we can deal with the liquidity crisis that we face today at the ILO. And then secondly, we need to work to diversify financing, look at alternative sources in order to discharge the ILO's mandates. That is key. But if I may, I'd like to say this because we cannot discharge the ILO's mandate without having the accounts in order. I must stress again other organizations, multilateral organizations, suffered cuts. And there is a shortfall in contributions from one contributor, but they've managed to steer a path through it. And during this term of the director generalship, I think it's key to relaunch the ILO with the social dialogue at its center, striking a permanent balance between employers and the workers. It's complex, but possible. Dealing with the challenges of today's world. This means talking about AI, ensuring sustainable enterprises. Let me be clear here. I'm just going to share this data with you. Productivity is going down worldwide, 1.8 to 1.2 today. The world of work and enterprises have a job to do. They have to get the world to be more productive again. And if we are going to make use of AI, then we need to look at human-based governance and oversight of AI. the challenge of democratization and governance of algorithms is essential. Working together on a permanent basis between employers and workers. There are some key considerations here, fair transitions, for example, and also informality across the world, in the world of work. These are all elements that need to be brought into play when it comes to cutting inequality and discharging our function. As the DG, I want the ILO not to be sidelined in a corner. I want the ILO to coordinate with other multilateral organizations. We cannot have an ILO that doesn't engage in conversations with the WTO, with the World Health Organization. We need to combine our forces and talk to each other.

Thank you very much. We go to the second question from the employers, which is Mr. Blaise Marti, who is online. Yeah.

Good afternoon, Chair. Thank you very much. Good afternoon, Minister, and good afternoon to all of you. My question deals with your understanding of business. And from an employer perspective, we are operating in a rapidly changing environment, facing challenges such as an economic uncertainty, skill shortages, technological change, changing regulatory requirements, and increasing pressure to remain competitive while creating jobs and decent work. Could you share your experience of working with businesses and employers? And more importantly, if elected as DG, how do you see the ILO supporting businesses in responding to those challenges? How would you ensure that the ILO's policies, standards and programmes are practical and relevant to enterprises of different sizes and in different sectors?

Thank you. Over to you.

Yes, as I was saying a moment ago, I think there are two points that need to be brought in. Firstly, we have to guarantee decent work. In other words, workers across the world, a complex world, need to gain in rights, and that is absolutely compatible with a gain in competitiveness for enterprises. This can only be achieved through a strategy of increased productivity, working together between employers and workers. Lifelong learning is key here. This is a challenge of our time. We also need to look at addressing informality. And this brings in other considerations, lifelong learning, reskilling, but also the certification of different skills and knowledge. In terms of just transition, the just climate transition and just digital transition, We need to ensure that throughout these processes, the world of work has its place. The ERTA furlough scheme, for example, that we designed in my country is an example of this. In other words, we can prepare and train workers for change, the change which we are seeing in the automotive sector, for example, with the upturn in EVs. We need workers to be trained for that change in order to improve business productivity. I don't think this is an impossible task. We have the ILO Productivity Ecosystem Programme, but it is fairly embryonic. What we need is a roadmap to bring together all of these aspects. Another major task is to cut informality worldwide. The figures are quite shocking. I think we really need to follow up on one of the major outcomes of the Seville conference, where we committed to addressing informality, bearing in mind how inefficient it is in economic terms, if nothing else. endeavouring to bring about those two percentage points increases in social protection. So we have this two-pronged approach, decent work and productivity, and that all feeds into sustainable enterprises and can be achieved on the basis of social dialogue. I know from experience that agreements can be reached. It's a win-win situation when agreements can be achieved, but in terms of the challenges faced, we really do need to take action.

Thank you very much. So now we turn to the third question from the employers. Online, we have Mr. Hicham Zouinat.

Thank you, Chairperson. Good afternoon, Minister. Good afternoon to you all. My question is as follows. In a number of countries, developing countries, employers' organizations are in need of technical assistance, but it is surprising to see that the ILO's available resources to assist employers to build robust independent organizations only accounts for half of that allotted to workers' organizations. What commitments are you ready to take to correct that imbalance? Thank you.

Allow me to say once again, from a pragmatic standpoint, we need to take a different approach to governance to enable us to overcome the major financial woes faced by the ILO. That is essential. Let's be clear about that. Secondly, At the heart of the ILO, we need to preserve what we've got. We need that technical assistance, both for enterprises and for unions. And if that is not the case, we will not be able to carry out our work properly across the world, in all regions of the world. If we're talking about supply chains, for example, where we have half of global trade involved. It's true to say that we have the Tripartite Declaration on Multinationals, but if social dialogue is to take place across those supply chains at the regional level, of course, to that end, we are going to need a great deal of economic effort. And here we're talking about people, we're talking about teams. We can't address this epochal challenge without that. And it's something which we really cannot sidestep. There is a need for ongoing symmetry between workers and employers. Of course, I think that Acctemp does need to be strengthened in order to ensure sustainability in enterprises and their organisations with efforts to correct any imbalances that exist. That's essential. At the same time, however, we do have a crisis facing us today. We need to deal with it. $363 million and an absence of day-to-day liquidity. That means that We cannot simply plan our mandate on the basis of adjustment plans without looking to the future. The enterprises of the future and the workers of the world need a future. And if that is to be achieved, we need to ensure that the ILO is properly managed with a new form of governance that is transparent, cross-cutting, and effective. We need to be in a position to convey to the employers and workers of the world that the ILO today makes sense, is relevant and is ready to meet the challenges of the day.

Thank you very much. We go to the final question for the employers. It's also online. We have Ms. Sonia Janahi.

Good afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good afternoon, Your Excellency and everybody. My question will relate about modernizing the supervisory system. The ILO standards supervisory system, as we can see today, needs major improvements. It has strengths, and we're not doubting that, but it does not, unfortunately, reflect the actual reality. And its decisions are far from transparent with, unfortunately, weak tripartite governance, which goes beyond the mandate of this organization of this House. As a result, We would like to know from your Excellency, what do you plan to do to modernize it, make it more transparent, more balanced and realistic? Thank you.

Thank you.

Over to you.

Well, without a doubt, you are evoking the very heart of the ILO. The standards supervisory system within the Committee on the Application of Standards and the Committee on Freedom of Association, as well as the Committee of Experts, is at the very heart of the ILO. And within that heart of the system, we have the highest calibre experts whose contribution today is hugely valuable. Those experts need the resources and the absolute autonomy that they need to work. There should be no fear about that mechanism and how it operates. We, the constituents, need to trust the system, even if there are instances of non-compliance. They are a guarantor of the functioning of the ILO system. They're at its very beating heart. The supervisory system along with social dialogue and decent work. In the ICG case on Convention 87 and the right to strike, Reference was made to the CFA and the committee of experts, which were lauded for the extraordinary quality of their work. However, we need to safeguard them. We need to ensure that the supervisory mechanisms have the necessary resources to undertake their functions in absolute independence and autonomy, with no fear. I must stress that point. I say once again, there is a need to relaunch the ILO. Think of Convention 191, which addresses the fundamental right to occupational safety and health. But it has to be said that very few countries have ratified this convention. My country has. What I'm trying to get at is that the standard system and the supervisory system cannot just rest on its laurels. It needs to go further. I want to be an executive DG. I want to try and understand from the bottom up the specificities of different countries from Barbados to the Middle East. across the continents of the world trying to work out how from the bottom up to implement these instruments whilst preserving the supervisory mechanisms that characterise this House.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you to the employers. We're now going to go to the governments. The first of two questions will be asked by Mr. Abakar of Niger on behalf of Africa.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you also, Ms. Yolanda Diaz. Thank you for participating today. I have two questions on behalf of the Africa group. Firstly, my question is as follows. If you were DG, what would be your strategic vision? And what would be your specific priorities in order to implement the Decent Work Agenda in Africa? How would you translate this vision into tangible results given the current financial restrictions in the organization and also the decisions already taken? And if there's any need, I can repeat my question. Shall I ask my second question already?

Over to you, please.

Thank you very much. The first thing to understand is that we need to democratize the ILO and we need to understand that the regions are all different. And in order to implement a decent work in all of the different regions, all stakeholders and social partners need to be key in managing this decent work agenda. Africa is a continent with huge potential. It is a young continent. and it's the continent that tells us that the world has a future. However, I would like to point out there's some things that can allow us to work together. For example, the informal economy needs to be one area that we would really focus on with regard to our work in Africa. I think if we improve social protection systems and also if we can make progress in migration and also in recognizing the training provided to young people. These are all key things. And international cooperation also needs to be stepped up. I believe that international cooperation should not be conditional. It should be like everything else in the multilateral system and go to projects. that the ILO finances in these regions. And above all, I'd like to talk about something key, which are the minimum social protection floors. I think these are all key points. 32% of young Africans are not studying or in employment, and this is an area to work on because informality is inefficient in both economic and social terms. Therefore, in talking about informality, first, we are recognizing that we're not fulfilling our mandate to create social justice, and we are also looking at a situation of failure in economies. Therefore, we need to focus on these points in Africa. Allow me to reiterate at this point, we need to fix the financial deficit in the ILO, and I am ready to do that. Now, a very key point to make here. share the view that we have cut the social economy in the ILO. I am Minister of Social Economy and I work together with my counterparts in Africa and in other countries, and I can tell you that African women are working in the social economy. They are key, and therefore I believe that To go that direction would be wrong. We need to recognize that Africa is the continent of the future, and it needs to be Africans who shape their own future with democratization and with decent work.

Thank you very much. I'll go back to you for your second question, please, Abakar.

Thank you, Chair. Democratization is a very important subject for the Africa Group. Africa has also started the process with regard to reviewing countries of industrial importance. We've got a committee of experts and the report is going to be made available soon. I would like to ask you how you intend to make progress in terms of democratization of the governance structure in the ILO, including the current process way. I would also like to ask what you would say about the ratification of the 1986 amendment and getting it ratified by all ILO members, including countries of chief industrial importance. I would also like to ask you about the upcoming Committee of Experts report on the list of countries of chief industrial importance, and I would like to ask you how that issue should be dealt with. I think that this is a really important debate because it is a fact that the ILO has specificities within the multilateral system.

I think that we've got a lot of room for improvement and democratization of the ILO is one challenge that we have but you've put a question to me how we're going to do this in address the implementation and the ratification of amendment of 1986 I I would like to tell you that my country has made a proposal on this, but allow me to be candid here. We need an executive DG who is working on the ground, visiting all of the regions, and who has a vision. And I think that this is critical because the objective needs to be a ratification campaign. And when I say ratification campaign, I mean really taking seriously the objective set by countries with regard to the ratification of this amendment. That's key. Now, I know that this can be very difficult. In other words, it can be a challenge to convince countries who have opposing interests, but I know it is possible. And I think that the ILO makes sense when we, and will make sense when we have a new democratic type of governance where we've got everybody participating in the decision-making process from small islands to major countries in the world. because what we need is to have a democratic governance in the organization. We need to look at the role of the governing body. We need to consider the role of the International Labour Conference. I think that all of these issues represent the challenge faced by this organization. And we can't just be satisfied with talking year after year about democratizing the ILO, but we need a very specific process. We need to get all stakeholders to commit to this democratization. And in my opinion, this is something that is possible. We can achieve it. And as a future DG, that'll be the first thing on my list because it is key. Allow me, please, to specify that we are better and enriched because of our differences. Yet, in a global world, we understand that there are different regions of the world that need to be able to highlight their specificities, and it is these differences that make us better. This brings about more democracy. That's what we need in the ILO. We will all come out as winners from that. and therefore I'm not afraid to talk about this issue with the employers and the workers. I think that is possible and that's what we need to do. Therefore, this issue of democracy that is critical and we need to be efficient in this aspect.

Thank you very much. Now, we turn to the Americas and I give the floor to Miss Blackman from Barbados.

Thank you, Chair. And thank you, Missus Diaz Perez. You have mentioned being an executive DG. With regards to the emerging challenges, how would you balance the office's efforts and resources between emerging challenges, such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, platform work, climate change, and demographic transition, with the priorities that remain pressing, such as formalizing the informal economy, promoting social dialogue, social protection, and creation of decent work among others.

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you for the question. Yes, you have asked a number of questions, but I think we can sum up saying that we are experiencing huge challenges right now. And I think that the challenges are not mutually exclusive. because just imagine that since Hurricane Catherine until now, a number of years have gone by, but climate change is damaging companies and workers. We know that there are more than 18,000 workers around the world who are affected by the climate emergency. Companies already know that their production is being hurt as a result of the damage caused by climate change. And at the same time, we understand we're looking at some kind of governance for the algorithms for AI. And I think that we're talking about two sides of the same coin here. So if I may, I would like to point out that we have recently approved the convention 193 on decent work in the digital platform economy. But this is just the beginning. And I think that we need to bear in mind something critical. What we want is algorithmic governance, which is democratic, transparent, and which creates competitiveness. And this is something that should then generate decent work and also be helpful for companies as well. Now, because all the courts in the world have told us this, we understand that What we are doing is we're looking at everything that happens in the labour market from the time that a worker is hired to when they leave the labour market. We need to focus on all of that, and we need to do this with an understanding between the unions and the employers. I was the first minister in the world who passed a law on these issues. We worked with experts in the business world and in companies specifically. And I can tell you that we had the EU platform directive. This was the debate we were having. But I do want to be clear that we shouldn't be afraid of transitions. What we need to do is to rise to the challenge. We should not be afraid of the climatic transition. Rather, what we want is to ensure that the transitions are fair. And when we talk about fairness, as a renowned French jurist said, we do need to focus on this. What happens is there are companies that are polluting and they are going to disappear, but then other companies will be created. And what we need is for workers to be well prepared for a fair transition. Therefore, these interests are not mutually exclusive. They can dovetail, and we need to work to that end.

Thank you very much. Now we turn to His Excellency, Mr. Peter MacDougall, Ambassador of Canada, please.

Thank you, Chair, and welcome to you, Minister. As the ILO continues to reform, it must remain focused on its core mandate, with the five fundamental principles and rights at work at the centre. That requires not only strong labour standards and supervision, but meaningful follow-through when supervisory bodies identify serious or persistent concerns. My question. As ILO Director General, what would you do to strengthen the ILO's focus on the fundamental principles and rights at work and ensure follow-through on supervisory recommendations? Thank you.

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you for your question. I'm going to reiterate the following: what we need to do is to solve the financial issue in the ILO. I'm sorry, but I'm very pragmatic. And We need to look at things at the ground level, and I think that the economic management that has led us to this crisis has not been appropriate. Therefore, what we need to learn is to have a financing and we need to diversify the ILO's financial sources. I'm going to give you some data, and as you know, my proposal has to do with getting new sources of income for the ILO. Regional investment banks in the world contribute to the multilateral system in 2024, it was $2.5 billion. And then in addition, I can tell you that the WHO receives $214 million, and the FAO also receives a significant sum, and the ILO receives from the World Bank and other regional investment banks only a small amount. And therefore, we need to negotiate with regional investment banks so that they can contribute to the regular budget. And we think we could get $40 to $40 million. This is just an estimate. And it's not a huge amount because other institutions receive more. And therefore, this is the first thing to do. We need to be transparent and we need to have good management with the governments, employers and workers. It's important to identify where the problems are. That's the first thing to do. And then secondly, let me reiterate that the standards supervisory system is at the heart of the ILO system. And of course, Complying with these standards is critical. And here there is also some room for improvement. I think also the digitalization of processes is important because what we need to do is to adapt to the times that we live in. And quite frankly, I think that this is something we need to do. And I can tell you that we shouldn't be afraid about these changes. Let me stress that because the ILO works. However, at the same time, I would like to say that I believe in a preventive type of management. And when we look at the final point where there is not compliance, then we'd already have the damage done at that point. And therefore, what we need is good leadership in the ILO. And what I want is to be a DG who really works boots on the ground, understanding where conflicts are and understanding what we can do working with the constituents, with the trade unions, with the employers in order to ensure that there is compliance. And I do believe that this is possible, but we need to shore up the system and fix it.

Many thanks. Now we're going to move to the Asian Pacific region and I'm going to ask Ms. Kim Soon Kim from the Republic of Korea to ask her question.

Thank you, Chair. I have a question on behalf of ASPAC. In the context of ongoing reform and human resource challenges, what measures would candidate take to strengthen geographical representation?

Thank you.

Thank you. Over to you.

Thank you for your question. What we are talking about again and again is the same thing, namely that we're seeking to change our leadership. and we need to ensure that the constituents have a key role to play in this leadership. This applies all the more in this moment of crisis in the ILO. I think that this is critical. So we do need to get our accounts in order because if we cannot get good management in this house and obtain other financial resources, we're not going to be able to fulfill the ILO's mandate. And furthermore, I can tell you, I submitted my candidacy because I really am attached to this house, and I know that this house is at risk. However, let me highlight the fact that when we talk about democratization, what we're doing is we're strengthening the standards supervisory system, and at the same time, we need to look to decentralize not as a type of adjustments in the regions, but to provide for more security because the regional offices have a critical role to play. And I think that this is the first thing that we need to do, because if we don't, we're not going to understand what we're actually talking about. And when I talk about democratization, this is what I mean. And yes, we need to have different perspectives. Also, when we talk about decent work, I can tell you that on all different continents, there needs to be a different approach, taking into account the specificities of each region. And this is something that is completely possible. It's something we have to do. And very frankly, I think that the ILO will win as a result of this approach. In other words, being practical and really having boots on the ground. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I'm now going to move to Mr. John Marizita, the ASPAC regional coordinator from Kiribati.

Thank you, Chair. Excellency, good day. To all the countries of ASPAC.

Good morning, Your Excellency, for all countries from Asia and the Pacific and our ARO group. We'd like to extend a warm welcome to you in the ILO. And I personally would like to say in our language, Maori, that's what we say in our language. I've got a question in English.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? Muchas gracias.

Thank you.

To you, Minister.

Firstly, I want to be very clear. I'm a pragmatic woman who's got experience in management. And believe me, I have moved our country forward. My country is the one in the OECD that is growing the most at the moment. I say this with all humility. And I can tell you we've had 52 labor reforms that we've achieved. And none of these were without tripartite participation. I worked with my team on the only labor reform with tripartite agreement, because not all labour reforms have tripartite agreement. Therefore, what we are looking at is ensuring that there is management of companies that will also benefit employers and workers. But I also want to see the ILO have strong leadership. We want for the leadership to be all on the same page, speaking the same language, because with regard to trade agreements, for example, as you know, One out of every three of these agreements include labor clauses, and therefore the ILO needs to have their impact here. If I may, I'd like to point out that the difference that distinguishes the ILO from other organizations is this. In other words, that we are tripartite, we've got the employers and the workers. And something else I'd like to say is that I want to look at the ILO in the Pacific and elsewhere in the world. We want everyone to participate, and I also want to ensure that there is gender parity. taking into account all diversities. But I'm not afraid of an ILO talking about productivity and talking about being competitive and an ILO that says, yes, we want a human approach, an ILO that will make the decent work the best tool working with sustainable companies. We want an ILO that is going to have a bottom-up approach in dealing with the problems of the day. Because everything is at risk at the moment. There are problems that have brought the ILO to the brink of disappearing. But I want to stress that, yes, this is a huge challenge, but I am ready to meet it.

Thank you very much. We're now going to move to the Europe and Central Asia Group, and I'll give the floor to Mr. Samir Yedes for the first of his two questions from Switzerland.

Thank you, Chair.

I'm going to put my question in English.

Time of significant financial pressure across the UN system and of growing concern among member states about duplication and overlap between international organizations and noting the existing opportunities in terms of synergies between UN agencies. How would you define the ILO's unique comparative advantage within the UN system? And if elected, what measures would you take to maintain the ILO's leadership within the multilateral system and to create more synergies with other relevant UN agencies? Finally, what concrete indicators would you use to measure whether your leadership has successfully strengthened the organization's relevance and influence? Thank you very much.

Can I just double check, Mr. Yared, is that just the first of your two questions, yes.

That's correct, Chair, yes. Thank you.

Firstly, the specific nature of the ILO is decent work and social justice. We are the only house that give a voice to the workers. in the world. And this is crucial, but we need to recognize that we've got challenges in the world and we need to address these from the perspective of employers and workers. And this is a centenary organization. Before the League of Nations, we go back further. In other words, the source of multilateralism and the roots of multilateralism can be found here. Therefore, it's important not to forget this. But let me come now to modern governance, which has to do with being results based. And what I want is transparent, assessed management. Otherwise, it will not be fit for purpose because we can say, okay, we have approved Convention 193 and then we just stop there. Well, that's not helpful. What we need to do is to actually go further than that. And I think that in addition to shoring up the supervisory system, what we need to do is to have a new leadership, in other words, an ILO that is calling out for equality, working together with the WTO and other bodies around the world. Because let me ask a question, how is it possible that the ILO and the WTO do collaborate for example on the global deal I presided on the session in my country in Madrid and I would like to stress that we need these kinds of fora in other words this year opportunities where we can introduce social dialogue into the multilateral system therefore when we are talking about new leadership, this is precisely what we are talking about. But when we talk about governance today and public policy and bringing these into order, well, this is a very, very key point and a task that we have.

Thank you very much.

Ms. Guedes, your second question, please.

Thank you, Chair.

The 2026 International Labour Conference adopted an ambitious transformative agenda for gender equality in the world of work. As Director General, how would you ensure that gender equality remains a protected and clear institutional priority and that the commitments made by the conference translate into concrete and measurable results? Thank you very much.

Over to you.

Thank you very much. Now, I think at the beginning of my presentation, I spoke to this. In other words, defending gender equality is important, respecting their diversity. And I think that this is a key mandate for the ILO. This organization is very clear that we can't talk about the right to fundamental rights. There's a principle of non-discrimination that governs all of this system, and in this debate that we had, in recent months, I think that it became very clear that there are certain things we need to include and bring into the world of work and the business world. Let me give you an example. We need to address the issue of informality because it is mainly women who suffer from working in the informal sector in the world. Secondly, you all know that there's a phenomenon of indirect discrimination. Many workplace have this kind of discrimination. Therefore, we need to look at the statistics that we have and work on improving these in order to understand where things are going wrong. If I may, I would like to stress that A global world needs the talent of women because if they do not include women's talent, then that world is not working efficiently. If we have low rates of women in the workforce, then we're talking about an inefficient society, both in social terms In other words, there will be no social justice in that kind of scenario. But furthermore, we're talking about a society which would not be appropriate in economic terms. And that's an important area to address. And I can tell you that here, there's the Equality Action Plan in the ILO. And the mandate was planned for 2027. But I think I can tell you that we need to update it. because the management of the ILO and the world of work today and businesses today all need to be involved when it comes to equality principles. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Minister. And now we're going to go to the workers. And we have Ms. Kathleen Paschier online, who will ask all four questions. Kathleen, over to you for your first question, please.

Good afternoon, all. With fate putting me at the end of a long list of speakers, let me emphasize that I'm here to represent the workers of the world for whom the ILO is their fortress in sometimes dire situations. And I'm sure many trade union colleagues are currently watching these hearings with anticipation, wanting to know how you will address their concerns going forward. Mrs. Diaz, let me ask you first the following question. In your introductory words, you have already mentioned the importance of the ILO's normative mandate. Do you consider there are any areas where new standards would be needed and how would you address, if elected in your new role as DG, the reluctance of some groups in the ILO to agree on the need for any new standard? Also, I would appreciate to know what actions would you take to further promote and guarantee respect for the rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining that are currently the most violated rights and the least ratified under the ILO's core conventions. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Minister.

Thank you for those questions. I do understand that there are reticences on the part of certain constituents in terms of potential new binding instruments within the ILO. I am aware of that. As I said, we have just seen the adoption of Convention 193, which marks the beginning rather than end of a process. Above and beyond any decisions we need to take, we're going to have to look at implementing measures to address the transition towards AI. But I personally believe that there are at least two other instruments where we will need to make progress, and I stand ready to work on that. Firstly, the care system worldwide. I think that an ILO approach to this is necessary. It's a major challenge in today's world. Secondly, we also need to make inroads on regulation regarding supply chains, with certain substantial elements of that in particular. We have, as I said, the Multinational Tripartite Declaration, but that is not enough. There is a need on the basis of permanent dialogue between workers and employers to try and bring about change. We cannot see the ILO not working to shore up collective bargaining and freedom of association. The ITUC report tells us that we've seen a backslide in this regard worldwide. on collective bargaining and freedom of association, and I'm quite clear about the fact that cannot be happening in the 21st century. We need more collective bargaining and more again, as well of course as strengthening of supervisory mechanisms. Convention 87 on freedom of association is virtually frozen. We have seen no new ratifications recently, and it would be well worth seeing to it that we can get more ratifications of that convention. That is a central consideration as we endeavour to curb the backslide in labour rights worldwide.

Thank you very much. Katalin, your second question, please.

Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Matthew, Dear Mrs. Diaz, Yolanda, in your vision statement, you refer to the need for a global charter of labour rights to be adopted by the ILO in the form of a convention. Could you explain what, in your view, is the added value of such a charter for the ILO, taking into account the ILO Constitution, the Philadelphia Declaration and other foundational declarations, including the Social Justice Declaration? And why are you suggesting the format of a convention? Finally, how would you rally the support of governments and employers, and more in general, the three constituent sides in the ILO, for such an endeavour?

Thank you. Minister.

Yes. One government representative made reference to the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We have just marked the 30th anniversary of the Copenhagen Summit. In 2028, we will be marking the 30 years of the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. This is a universal instrument. In other words, it applies regardless of ratification. We also incorporated in 2002 the right to safety and health. These are momentous considerations, but I think the time has come for a new charter of labour rights, which can update these fundamental rights, a charter which makes reference, for example, to the minimum living wage, a charter which makes reference to modernised principles, social protection floors, for example, care, the just transition, rights vis-a-vis algorithms at work, migration as a challenge of our age, a charter which makes reference to minimum considerations with regard to migration. In other words, a charter which overhauls and rethinks the ILO's fundamental principles and rights. What form this instrument takes is the matter of least importance, but in 2028, I think it's important at conference that we engage in a rethinking of those fundamental principles. Minimum living wage, taking into account regional specificities, a social protection floor, let that be defined. I think that can be achieved working together between employers and workers. Let's talk about informality, migration. These are all new considerations and rights which need to be mainstreamed. And I think that is what the Charter of Labour Rights is about. It's about updating our view of these fundamental principles and rights on their 30th anniversary.

Thank you very much. Katalin, your third question, please, on behalf of the workers.

Yes, thank you very much. Mrs. Diaz, in your vision statement, you were very critical about the way the current financial challenges are addressed and uphold that under your leadership, the ILO would do better, including through public-private collaboration and involving regional banks and by increasing development cooperation. Can you explain these proposals a bit more in detail and how exactly they would lead to a different and better result? and can you especially indicate how you would convince these institutions and donors to provide more resources to the ILO at a time when ODA, which is official development assistance, as a general trend is going down? Thank you.

Thank you.

Minister.

Without a doubt, this is one of the questions that's foremost in our mind. We need proper management. It's not true to say that this institution is in crisis because one constituent is not paying. That same constituent is not paying across a number of organisations, but other organisations have pre-empted the crisis and have handled it well. What I'm trying to get at is that we need to diversify sources of financing. All alternative sources need to be in line with the ILO's mandate and respect it. And I will say once again that the multilateral system has received income from regional investment banks to the tune of $250 million. The per share could be quite minimal in comparison with this, and I think it is possible, I think there is a possibility to make use or leverage such resources from various regions, provided that this is in line with the ILO mandate. When it comes to public-private partnership, for example, there needs to be clear-cut governance structure in place, with the governing body having in place a specific ad hoc committee to this end to ensure that financing that takes place from this channel is not in any way earmarked. We need to ensure that our principles are respected across any channels of financing. In terms of international cooperation, we need to look at triangular South-South cooperation and all possibilities that exist. I think those possibilities do exist, and I stand ready to leverage them. I'm very tenacious when it comes to that sort of thing.

Thank you very much.

Katalin, final question from the workers, please.

Yes, thank you very much, Chair. And let me say that many of our questions are also already responded to. So I will finalize with a very short question. Mrs. Diaz, why do you think you are the best candidate for this position?

Over to you, Minister.

Let me be honest.

I decided to take this step because of the very pressing crisis faced by the ILO. I know this is going to be quite a challenge, but speaking quite humbly here, I have dealt with some pretty major crises already. As I said, my country suffered a plunge in its GDP of 11 points, and I was able to deal with that. I was able to handle some pretty weighty crises. working hand in hand with employers and workers. That's how I've always chosen to act. And I presided over 30 labour agreements in my country, almost all of which were tripartite. This seemed on the face of it impossible, but I managed it. But I am not a believer in figurehead leadership. The fact that we've had rather individual leadership has led us where we are. There is a need to take a democratic, horizontal approach, with transparency at the heart of the way we act, to look problems in the face and try to bring people together in a synthetic way. That is where we have fallen short so far in this House. I have the energy and experience to ensure that the ILO can regain its rightful place within a system which is in crisis. I stand ready to do that for the workers of the world and for the sustainable enterprises of the world, because those two vectors are doing something really quite essential. They are seeing to it that social justice can be achieved, because without that, there can be no lasting peace. There is a serious risk of injustice in the world and I stand ready to address that major challenge, but not on my own. If I'm elected DC, I will be counting on all of you to address these priority areas of work. It's a major task. The challenge is huge, but we need to look at it in a clear-sighted way. We need to inject a little bit of hope into the world. Today, the multilateral system is in crisis. Today, when the ILO is most needed, it is the most weak. From its inception to the present day, it has been there and ready to deal with the challenges of the day. I stand ready to move forward on the basis of that history, working with the workers of the world and the employers and governments, of course. This will take hours and hours and hours of work and dialogue.

Thank you, Minister, and thank you, Katalin, and the workers. Okay, so now we've completed the question and answer part of the interview. I want to thank both those who asked the questions and you, Ms. Diaz Perez, for responding within the time allocated. It was extremely, extremely efficient. And now, because of that efficiency, I can give you up to five minutes to make any closing remarks that you wish. Over to you, Minister.

Firstly, I would like to thank you all for your questions and contributions, because they have enabled me to tell you about the ILO that I want to achieve. We've been able to talk about the present and the future. I've said time and again that standing still is not an option. We have a responsibility to this organization and its future. I do not want to preside over a dying ILO. Workers, employers and Governments deserve better than that. We need to steer the ILO to further and better things. I am a specialist in labour law. I am a lawyer. I have always been doing this. I have learned a huge amount from this House. This is the House of enterprise, the House of workers. And what is done by enterprises needs to translate into decent work for workers. Through my candidacy, I offer great possibilities. I think we can open the doors to a new world, a world of new and unforeseen challenges, but one where we need a new guiding light. One of these guiding lights, the compass in our work, is the ILO. It is not going to be easy to turn this organisation around, but we will do so through cross-cutting, transparent governance. Democratisation is urgent. need a multi-centred centre bringing together different diverse ideas. We need to be able to talk to the fishers of Senegal and Galicia, the miners of Peru and the IT technicians and cleaners of the Philippines, from Silicon Valley tech to the small enterprises of the world. We need an ILO where social dialogue isn't just a matter of speeches but is something which can be felt on the ground. We all need to be able to benefit from the basic principles principle of shared prosperity. I cannot understand how a plan for adjustment could have been prepared without dialogue. We need dialogue. We need also to have an ILO that can work with the WTO and the other multilateral organizations on an equal footing. We need a strong, sustainable organization that can generalize prosperity for all and to generate enterprises that are able to share prosperity. I want an ILO that can help to foster robust workers' organisations which are able to undertake autonomous trade union activity, collectively agreeing on working conditions in all corners of the world. Today, trade unions are more necessary than ever. I know there are parts of the world where they are at risk. I wish to see an ILO that is able to represent all governments of the world. That can be achieved. Allow me to conclude by talking about my daughter. I want to lead the ILO so that the children of the world, sons and daughters, can look to the future without fear, so that they know that they have a decent job awaiting them when they grow up. I want them to know that the ILO is equal to the challenges of our age. I am filled with hope when I think of this. On one occasion, Pope Francis said that hope never lets you down. I think the ILO needs to be that guiding beacon of hope for the world, for workers and for enterprises. and for migrants also, I have to say this. I want to be a beacon of hope. I do not want to shoulder this task alone. I want to do it with your help. I want to do it following on from the example of all those who will have preceded me, all of whom played a key role. The example also of the millions of women who, worldwide, day after day, teach us that work and enterprises are pulling their weight and achieving things because of the work of women. Women are key to the ILO. In conclusion, we have the weight and the force of our shared history behind us. This is the mother of the multilateral system. I am convinced, I think we should all be convinced, that together we will achieve social justice and sustainable peace in the world. In conclusion, we need more democracy, more multilateralism, and more human rights. Thank you very much. And of course, allow me to thank the Chair for his work. I finish also by extending my greetings to the workers of this House who have had a difficult time lately. Thank you, all of you, for your work.

Well, thank you very much, Ms. Diaz Perez, for sharing your vision for the ILO and for being so efficient and effective. So colleagues, now we're going to take a 10 minute break and I'll see you back here at 2:30 on the dot. Thank you.