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ILC ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON BURMA (r)



Geneva, 14 June 2000, 17.50GMT

One hour ago, by 257 votes in favour, 41 against and 31 abstentions,
the International Labour Conference adopted the following resolution
on Burma:


The International Labour Conference,

Meeting at its 88th Session in Geneva from 30 May to 15 June 2000,

Considering the proposals by the Governing Body which are before it,
under the eighth item of its agenda (Provisional Record No. 4), with a view
to the adoption, under article 33 of the ILO Constitution, of action to secure
compliance with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry
established to examine the observance by Myanmar of its obligations
in respect of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29),

Having taken note of the additional information contained in the report of
the ILO technical cooperation mission sent to Yangon from 23 to 27 May
2000 (Provisional Record No. 8) and, in particular, of the letter dated 27 May
2000 from the Minister of Labour to the Director-General, which resulted from
the mission,

Considering that, while this letter contains aspects which seem to reflect a
welcome intention on the part of the Myanmar authorities to take measures
to give effect to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, the
factual situation on which the recommendations of the Governing Body were
based has nevertheless remained unchanged to date,

Believing that the Conference cannot, without failing in its 
responsibilities to
the workers subjected to various forms of forced or compulsory labour, abstain
from the immediate application of the measures recommended by the Governing
Body unless the Myanmar authorities promptly take concrete action to adopt
the necessary framework for implementing the Commission of Inquiry?s
recommendations, thereby ensuring that the situation of the said workers 
will be
remedied more expeditiously and under more satisfactory conditions for all 
concerned;

1. Approves in principle, subject to the conditions stated in paragraph 2 
below,
the actions recommended by the Governing Body, namely:

(a)  to decide that the question of the implementation of the Commission of
Inquiry?s recommendations and of the application of Convention No. 29 by
Myanmar  should be discussed at future sessions of the International Labour
Conference, at a sitting of the Committee on the Application of Standards 
specially
set  aside for the purpose, so long as this Member has not been shown to have
fulfilled its obligations;

(b) to recommend to the Organization?s constituents as a whole ­ governments,
employers and workers ­ that they:

(i) review, in the light of the conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry, 
the relations
that they may have with the member State concerned and take appropriate
measures to ensure that the said Member cannot take advantage of such 
relations
to perpetuate or extend the system of forced or compulsory labour referred 
to by the
Commission of Inquiry, and to contribute as far as possible to the 
implementation
of its recommendations; and (ii) report back in due course and at 
appropriate intervals
to the Governing Body;

(c) as regards international organizations, to invite the Director-General: 
(i) to inform
the international organizations referred to in article 12, paragraph 1, of 
the Constitution
of the Member?s failure to comply; (ii) to call on the relevant bodies of 
these
organizations to reconsider, within their terms of reference and in the 
light of the
conclusions of the Commission of Inquiry, any cooperation they may be 
engaged in
with the Member concerned and, if appropriate, to cease as soon as possible 
any
activity  that could have the effect of directly or indirectly abetting the 
practice of
forced or compulsory labour;

(d)  regarding the United Nations specifically, to invite the 
Director-General to
request  the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to place an item on the
agenda of its July 2001 session concerning the failure of Myanmar to implement
the recommendations contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry and
seeking the adoption of recommendations directed by ECOSOC or by the General
Assembly, or by both, to governments and to other specialized agencies and
including requests similar to those proposed in paragraphs (b) and (c) above;

(e)   to invite the Director-General to submit to the Governing Body, in the
appropriate manner and at suitable intervals, a periodic report on the outcome
of the measures set out in paragraphs (c) and (d) above, and to inform the
international organizations concerned of any developments in the 
implementation
by Myanmar of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry;

2.  Decides that those measures will take effect on 30 November 2000 unless,
before that date, the Governing Body is satisfied that the intentions 
expressed
by the Minister of Labour of Myanmar in his letter dated 27 May have been
translated into a framework of legislative, executive and administrative 
measures
that are sufficiently concrete and detailed to demonstrate that the
recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry have been fulfilled and 
therefore render
the implementation of one or more of these measures inappropriate;

3.  Authorizes the Director-General to respond positively to all requests 
by Myanmar
that are made with the sole purpose of establishing, before the above 
deadline, the
framework mentioned in the conclusions of the ILO technical cooperation 
mission
(points (i), (ii) and (iii), page 8/11 of Provisional Record No. 8), 
supported by a sustained ILO
presence on the spot if the Governing Body confirms that the conditions are 
met for such
presence to be truly useful and effective.