Eliel Hasson Nisis takes over as new ILO Director for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic

Eliel Hasson Nisis, a Chilean lawyer with extensive experience in labor issues and international relations, has taken over as Director of the ILO Office for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic. His management will focus on strengthening partnerships and promoting social justice and Decent Work in the subregion.

17 September 2024

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Eliel Hasson Nisis, Director OIT para América Central, Haití, Panamá y República Dominicana © OIT / Nancy Arroyo

San José, Costa Rica (ILO News) – Since 1 September, Chilean lawyer Eliel Hasson Nisis has been the new Director of the ILO Office for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Upon taking office, the Director emphasized some of the most important challenges for the subregion, which will be a priority in his management. These include the monitoring of the Decent Work Programmes (DWCPs) currently being promoted in Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, in accordance with the contexts and priorities of social constituents; resource mobilization in coordination with the Regional Office and headquarters in Geneva; the monitoring of ongoing processes in the ILO Standards Supervisory System; and the consolidation and strengthening of collaborative relations with the United Nations System and the Council of Ministers of Central America. 

One of the cross-cutting issues that he will promote is the gender perspective in all the processes that are promoted. The Director highlighted the extensive experience and invaluable expertise of the Subregional Office team, as well as its intention to strengthen the dynamics and synergies around policies and projects in the world of work, with special emphasis on women and vulnerable groups. 

Other priority issues of his management will be Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as a fundamental right; the eradication of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking; as well as giving new impetus to the Global Coalition for Social Justice, an initiative led by the Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Gilbert Houngbo. This coalition is made up of more than 300 governments, employers' and workers' organizations, international organizations, academic institutions and NGOs, and is aimed at strengthening policy coherence and multilateral cooperation to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Decent Work Agenda. 

"I am firmly convinced that the triad of employment, training and productivity, together with integrated education/labour policies, are key to achieving greater international and national coherence, as well as better working environments, in addition to the strengthening of social dialogue and tripartism," emphasized Director Hasson Nisis.

Prior to assuming the leadership of the ILO office for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic, Eliel Hasson Nisis served as Labour Attaché at the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. He also held the position of Vice President of the Hay Mujeres Foundation; he was Director of the Chilean Council of Foresight and Strategy; and a member of the Advisory Council of Chile Transparente, the Network of Chilean Researchers in Switzerland (ICES), the Permanent Forum on Foreign Policy and the Ethics Commission of the Chilean Chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. 

He has also been a professor of Trade Policy, Labour and Regulatory Affairs at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile. From 2014 to 2018 and was head of International Affairs of the Ministries of the General Secretariat of the Presidency and of Labor and Social Welfare of Chile.  Previously, he worked at the law firm Prieto y Cía, and at the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The new Director is a lawyer in Law and Political Science from the University of Lima, Peru, and has a Postgraduate Degree in International Economic Relations from the University of Chile.  He also holds a Diploma in Trade Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a specialty in Legal Management from Yale University.  Throughout his professional career, he has completed specialization programs in various international organizations (WTO, ILO, among others) in areas such as social and solidarity economy, corporate sustainability and future of work. In addition to Spanish and English, he has advanced knowledge of French and Hebrew.

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Through the ILO Office established in 1969 in the city of San José, Costa Rica, the ILO supports its tripartite constituents in eight countries in Central America and the Caribbean: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.  Support is provided through a team of specialists in the different areas of the labor field and through the execution of technical cooperation projects that address priority challenges identified by the countries of the region and the new trends and challenges of the world of work, such as migratory flows, just transition, the incorporation of new technologies in production processes, supply chains and the future of work. 

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