Maputo — Mozambique has been chosen to represent the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region at the Governing Body of the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO).

According to a press release from the Labour Ministry, the decision was taken unanimously and by acclamation at a meeting of SADC labour and employment ministers in Maseru on Thursday.

Mozambican Labour Minister Helena Taipo thanked the other participants for the trust they had shown in Mozambique.

She promised that Mozambique would do its utmost to represent the region successfully "but with your help, because it is the mission of all of us to see this region strong and better represented at the most important forum in the world on matters of employment, labour and social security".

The choice of Mozambique once again puts the country in a position of great prestige on the international stage, added Taipo.

Mozambique already has a resident representative in Geneva, acting as a link between the country and the ILO headquarters. Mozambique became a deputy member of the ILO Governing Body in 2006, and now it takes over from South Africa, as a full member, representing the SADC region.