On 6 June in Geneva, during the 114th session of the International Labour Conference, a special meeting on Belarus was held within the Committee on the Application of Standards, concerning the government’s implementation of ILO recommendations in connection with the application of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution.

Two more international organisations have joined the joint statement on the systemic human rights crisis in the labour sphere in Belarus — the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Today in Geneva, at the Broken Chair monument, an international solidarity action was held in support of Belarusian trade union political prisoners. Despite the pouring rain, dozens of trade union leaders and activists from different countries gathered to support those who remain behind bars in Belarus for defending workers’ rights and freedom of association.

Two more international organisations have joined the joint statement on the systemic human rights crisis in the labour sphere in Belarus — the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Belarusian and international human rights organisations, independent trade unions, and civil society initiatives have issued a joint statement on the systemic crisis of human rights in the labour sector in Belarus.

On 25 May, an international conference entitled “Workers’ rights are human rights. ILO mechanism Article 33 to bring back freedom of association to Belarus” was held in Berlin, organised by the Salidarnast e.V. and the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).

On 27 April 2026, Ales Bialiatski, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and head of the Viasna Human Rights Centre, met with Inga Ruginienė, Prime Minister of Lithuania. During the meeting, the two sides discussed a broad range of issues related to human rights, political persecution and support for Belarusian civil society.

On April 19, 2022, many Belarusian independent unions’ leaders and activists were arrested. The date became a milestone in the history of the massive repressions in the country. We share with you why the regime fears union activists more than it may seem.

At the headquarters of the International Labour Organization in Geneva, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo met with Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), who spent four years in detention for his trade union activities.

At the 356th Session of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization, discussion of the “Belarus issue” was concluded. The matter was considered under item 12 of the agenda: “Follow-up to the implementation of the resolution concerning measures recommended by the Governing Body under Article 33 of the ILO Constitution with regard to Belarus.”

During the 356th Session of the International Labour Organization, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), expressed his gratitude to the Workers’ Group at the ILO and to ACTRAV for the solidarity and support shown to him during his imprisonment in Belarus.

On 30 March, the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization will meet in Geneva to consider the issue of the Belarusian authorities’ compliance with Article 33 of the ILO Constitution. One of the requirements under Article 33 is the prompt release of political prisoners — trade union leaders and activists.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Alena Yaskova—the National Legal Adviser of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), one of the founders of BKDP’s women’s direction, and a person of exceptional professional integrity and human dignity.

A session of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Governing Body concluded its work in Geneva; the GB discussed the situation in Belarus, among other things.

The Special Envoy of the ILO DG for Belarus Lelio Bentes Corrêa, has embarked on his mission.

On 17 September, an online meeting was held between recently released former political prisoner and leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), Aliaksandr Yarashuk, and ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo together with Maria Helena André, Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV). The meeting was also attended by Sergeyus Glovackas, Desk Officer for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at ACTRAV.

Why independent trade unions regard it as a disguised form of forced labour

In the first half of 2025, political rapprochement between Belarus and Myanmar reached a new level. Both countries — governed by military or authoritarian regimes, under international sanctions, and widely criticized for systematic human rights violations — are enthusiastically expanding economic, diplomatic, and even military cooperation.

In today’s Belarus, subscription to independent mass media can cost a man not just their job but also their freedom. Lukashenka’s regime continues to pursue the policy of total control over information, qualifying the reading of alternative media sources as “extremist activity”.

The participants discussed measures proposed by the ILO Governing Body for the implementation of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution that has been applied to the Government of Belarus for violations of the right to freedom of association and the failure to comply with the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations.