Better Work, a partnership of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is pleased to announce that ILO Director-General Juan Somavia has selected Dan Rees as the new Better Work (BW) Director. Mr. Rees, of the United Kingdom, comes to Better Work from his previous position as founding Director of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) in London. ETI is one of the world's most respected corporate social responsibility organizations. His appointment results of a rigorous selection and interview process extending over several months. A joint IFC/ILO team of technical experts and members of the Management Group conducted the interviews, and recommended his selection to the Director-General.

Better Work seeks to improve labour standards compliance in global supply chains, both to protect workers' rights and help enterprises become more competitive. The programme focuses on scalable and sustainable solutions that build cooperation between governments, employers' and workers' organizations and international buyers. Donor support also plays a large role in implementation of global and country-level activities, which include enterprise assessments, training and advisory service, and market engagement. Better Work is currently active in seven countries on three continents, and in the coming years will expand to new countries and industries.

Mr. Rees will provide leadership to the programme, with strategic guidance from an international advisory committee comprising representatives of employers' organizations, trade unions, donors, and international buyers. His skills in building effective multi-stakeholder initiatives, and his strong reputation among CSR proponents around the world, will strengthen the Better Work foundation laid by former Director Ros Harvey and the global project team.

Dan Rees has a degree in International Economic Development from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Working with ETI since 1999, Mr. Rees was responsible for growing the membership of that programme to over 50 leading brands and retailers, trade unions representing nearly 160 million workers around the world, and leading campaigning and development organizations. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Rees helped set up the first ever multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at improving working conditions in South Africa. In the United Kingdom, Mr. Rees chaired the Temporary Labour Working Group, a cross-industry alliance established to help end exploitation of temporary labourers in the agricultural sector.

Previously, Mr. Rees has served as a regular adviser to the ILO, the Government of the United Kingdom, other UN bodies, and leading companies on the implementation of corporate codes of labour practice.

Mr. Rees will assume his position at the Better Work global programme office in Geneva in August 2010.

International Labour Office

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