Francis Blanchard

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francis Blanchard (* 21st July 1916 in Paris ; † 9. December 2009 in Geneva ) was a French UN - official .

Life

Blanchard joined the International Labor Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations with headquarters in Geneva , in 1951 , where he rose to Deputy Director General in 1968.

In 1974 he finally succeeded Wilfred Jenks as General Director of the ILO and headed it until 1989. The 15 years of his tenure were marked by the United States ' withdrawal from the ILO in 1977 in protest against the position of the Eastern Bloc in the face of criticism of the violation of workers' rights. In 1980, however, the USA rejoined the ILO after structural changes within the organization. In the 1980s he was one of the supporters of Solidarność in their struggle for democracy in Poland . At the end of his term in office he finally saw the collapse of the Eastern bloc. Michel Hansenne succeeded him as General Director .

In June 2009 he took part in the celebrations for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the ILO on April 11, 1919.

The current Director General of the ILO, Juan Somavía , praised Blanchard, who died in a nursing home in Geneva , as a pioneer in the promotion of human rights , the fight against poverty and the demand for better work organizations.

Web links