GENEVA (ILO News) – ILO Director-General Juan Somavia expressed his deep sorrow at the death of Philippe Séguin, government representative of France in the ILO Governing Body from 2002 to 2005.

“Philippe Séguin was a champion of the human values of the International Labour Organization and a brilliant ambassador carrying the universal message of France. During his mandate, he showed energy, conviction and oversight in defending the ideas and the action of the ILO based on social justice, dialogue and tripartism. His outspoken interest for the challenges of the social dimension of globalization strongly supported the debate in the Governing Body”, the Director-General said.

Elected Chairperson of the ILO Governing Body in 2004, Mr. Séguin vigorously supported the ideas and recommendations in the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.

The same year, introducing a publication of former ILO Director-General Francis Blanchard (Note 1), Philippe Séguin wrote: “The voluntary and non binding application of standards needs a vigilant follow-up. That’s the ILO’s job … it’s about human dignity. To guarantee the latter, two important conditions have to be met: working conditions must be decent and space must be given for personal fulfilment in freedom and diversity.”

Following his convictions, Mr. Séguin stayed in touch with the ILO and its leaders. Even after he had left the Organization, he continued to have relations marked by friendship, respect and mutual trust with ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. He actively participated in the ILO’s 90th anniversary celebration at the Senate in Paris and accompanied the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, to the Summit on the Global Jobs Crisis held during the International Labour Conference in Geneva in June 2009.

Note 1 – Francis Blanchard, L’Organisation internationale du Travail, De la Guerre froide à un nouvel ordre mondial, Paris, 2004.