The International Labor Organization (ILO) on Wednesday opened its 99th annual conference with a focus on employment issues following the global economic crisis.

The conference, which runs until June 18, includes a number of discussions involving representatives of governments, workers and employers from the ILO's 183 member states on paving the way for a job-rich recovery and fostering a more sustainable and balanced growth, according to a press release issued by the U.N. agency.

Two high-level panels on June 14 will discuss the role of productive employment and social protection in realizing internationally agreed development goals and the Millennium Development Goals, it said.

The panels will also review progress in realizing the ILO Global Jobs Pact adopted last year in response to the global economic crisis and designed to guide national and international policies aimed at stimulating economic recovery, generating jobs and providing protection to working people and their families.

The conference will also have a forward-looking discussion of employment trends and challenges over the next decade. The macroeconomic, employment, labor market, trade and investment policies required to promote full, decent and productive employment will be considered.

In addition, delegates will consider the elaboration of an international labor standard on HIV/AIDS in the world of work. In the format of an ILO recommendation, this labor standard would be the first international human rights instrument entirely dedicated to HIV/AIDS.

The ILO recommendation has provisions on prevention programs and anti-discrimination measures at national and workplace levels aimed at strengthening the contribution of the world of work to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Other issues to be discussed during the conference include the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, a global report on child labor, and so on.

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