The Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Guy Ryder, today condemned “the unprovoked and unjustifiable attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine conducted without regard to international law, and the continuing loss of life, and immense human suffering that it is inflicting on the people of Ukraine”.
Ryder joined the General Assembly of the United Nations in deploring in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demanding that it immediately cease its use of force and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
“This stands among the darkest chapters in the ILO’s century long history and a brutal repudiation of our organization’s mission to promote peace through social justice. Those responsible for the aggression know full well that among its first victims will be working people and that the devastation of jobs, enterprises and livelihoods will be massive and endure for many years.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that because of the actions of the Russian Federation the world is facing the biggest global peace and security crisis of recent years, and that the attack on Ukraine challenges all of the multilateral system.
“The ILO’s duty is to stand in solidarity with the government, workers, and employers of Ukraine and to join with the rest of the United Nations system in providing all possible assistance to them. To our revulsion and outrage as horrified witnesses to events unfolding in Ukraine, we must add the determination to act practically to bring them to an end. Goals pursued through aggression and violation of human rights must not prevail. Our responsibility is to meet our obligations to the Ukrainian people,” Ryder concluded.