ILO General-Director Meets AUA Assistant to President on Academic Affairs to Discuss Potential Collaboration

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YEREVAN, Armenia — On December 18, 2023, Assistant to the President on Academic Affairs at the American University of Armenia (AUA) Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan met with Gilbert F. Houngbo, the 11th General-Director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Yerevan on the sidelines of the “Promotion of Social Justice” international conference.

The ILO is the only tripartite United Nations agency that brings together government, employer, and worker representatives from 187 member states to set labor standards, develop policies, and devise programs promoting productive employment and decent work. During the meeting, the General-Director introduced his initiative of building a “Global Coalition of Social Justice” and publishing a “Global Report on Social Justice” in 2025. He also stressed the significance of achieving greater social justice, fighting inequalities and discrimination in the world of work, and instituting better working conditions both through national action as well as by building more effective multilateral coordination and leadership. He also touched upon the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, which aims to ensure fair globalization and poverty reduction and is an integral element (Goal 8) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

During the meeting, Dr. Ter-Matevosyan introduced AUA, highlighting its history, academic programs, and research agenda. Houngbo was particularly interested in learning about the University’s graduate programs in Human Rights and Social Justice, as well as Public Affairs, seeing them as exceptional fits for potential collaboration. The General-Director remarked on the great potential for AUA to partner with the ILO and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia in preparing the national report and conducting other types of research related to mutual interests. Houngbo and his senior adviser, Raquel Gonzales, kindly agreed to facilitate the establishment of collaboration between AUA and the Research Department of the ILO, a key unit which conducts research on labor and employment issues with the aim of contributing to policy formulation for ILO constituents.

“This meeting has again ascertained that AUA possesses a necessary degree of institutional capacity and research potential to collaborate with the ILO and other U.N. agencies for the benefit of Armenian society,” said Dr. Ter-Matevosyan.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.