Colombian Vice President Angelino Garzon arrived in Russia to promote his candidacy for Directorate General of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Thursday.
During his three-day visit, Garzon will meet with several Russian government officials including Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov and Economy Minister Alexei Likhachev to discuss his strategy to promote employment.
Colombian labor unions are protesting Garzon’s candidacy due to the country’s poor track record on workers’ rights. For decades Colombia has been among the most dangerous places in the world to be a trade unionist — 2010 was the first time it was not included on the ILO blacklist for countries which fail to comply with international working conditions.
The final vote will take place on May 28. Garzon will have support from Latin America, the Caribbean and Spain. He is the only candidate from the Americas.