The Commonwealth of The Bahamas participated in the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), held in Geneva, Switzerland from 1–12 June 2026. The ILC is the annual labour parliament of the International Labour Organization (ILO), bringing together representatives of Governments, Workers and Employers from all ILO Member States to advance decent work and social justice.
The delegation of The Bahamas to the Conference was led by the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle, M.P., Minister of Labour, the Public Service and National Insurance, and included some fifty representatives of Government, Employers and Workers. The 114th Session took place during a particularly significant year for The Bahamas, as the country commemorates the 50th anniversary of its membership in the ILO.
On 9 June 2026, Minister Glover-Rolle delivered The Bahamas’ national statement during the plenary discussion on the Director-General’s report, A Moment of Choice: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Decent Work. In her statement, the Minister welcomed the ILO’s timely focus on artificial intelligence and emphasized that the impact of AI on workers and economies would depend on the policies, institutions and governance frameworks adopted by countries.
Minister Glover-Rolle highlighted The Bahamas’ efforts to prepare for the “Intelligent Age”, including updated data protection legislation, plans for AI-specific legislative and policy frameworks, the Upskill Bahamas initiative, continued investment in technical and vocational education and training, and plans for the establishment of a Bahamas AI Academy. She also underscored the importance of ensuring that workers, small businesses and communities across the Family Islands are equipped to benefit from technological transformation.
Bahamian Workers were also represented among the plenary statements. On Wednesday, 3 June 2026, Ms. Alexandria Feaster, Workers’ Delegate for The Bahamas, delivered an intervention on behalf of Bahamian Workers, welcoming the Director-General’s focus on artificial intelligence and digital transformation. She emphasized that technology must be guided by fairness, workers’ rights, social dialogue, skills development and human dignity, and highlighted national efforts to prepare workers for the future of work.
The Conference also marked a major milestone in The Bahamas’ labour reform agenda. On 12 June 2026, during a ceremony held in conjunction with a bilateral meeting with ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, Minister Glover-Rolle deposited instruments of ratification on behalf of the Government of The Bahamas for three important ILO Conventions: Convention No. 155 on Occupational Safety and Health, Convention No. 187 on the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health, and Convention No. 183 on Maternity Protection.
The deposit of these instruments reaffirmed The Bahamas’ commitment to strengthening protections for workers, promoting safe and healthy workplaces and advancing gender equality in employment. The ceremony carried special symbolic importance as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of The Bahamas’ membership in the ILO.
Minister Glover-Rolle subsequently met with Director-General Houngbo to review cooperation between The Bahamas and the ILO, including labour market reforms, workforce development, social dialogue, the future of work and artificial intelligence.
The 114th Session of the ILC also concluded with the adoption of the first international labour standard on decent work in the platform economy. The new Convention represents a landmark step in global efforts to ensure that digital platform workers benefit from fundamental rights at work, including freedom of association and collective bargaining, protection from discrimination, child labour and forced labour, occupational safety and health, data protection and safeguards in relation to automated systems and algorithms.
In the spirit of tripartism and social dialogue, The Bahamas’ participation at the Conference reflected the active engagement of Government, Workers and Employers in shaping national and international labour policy. The Bahamas also participated in regional coordination meetings, including discussions on the platform economy, gender equality at work, social dialogue and tripartism, and the need to ensure advancements of priority issues in the context of the ILC.
On 9 June 2026, Minister Glover-Rolle hosted a reception in Geneva to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The Bahamas’ membership in the ILO. The event brought together members of the Bahamian delegation, including representatives of Government, Employers’ and Workers’ organizations, and provided an opportunity to celebrate five decades of partnership between The Bahamas and the ILO in advancing decent work, labour rights and social justice.
The International Labour Organization is the oldest specialized agency of the United Nations and is unique among international organizations owing to its tripartite model. Its constituents include governments, employers and workers, all of whom have an equal voice in shaping international labour standards and policies.
