http://www.adb.org/news/adb-ilo-reaffirm-support-core-labor-standards Joint Statement
by
Haruhiko Kuroda, President, Asian Development Bank, and Guy Ryder, Director- General, International Labour Organization Manila, 17 December 2012
1. As ADB reported in the Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific
(2011), developing Asia has experienced impressive economic growth in
recent decades, but the quality of jobs remains inadequate. ILO’s Asia-Pacific
Labour Market Update (October 2012) adds that many people make their living in
vulnerable and precarious forms of work, where incomes are low or unstable, and
access to rights and benefits are very restricted, particularly in the informal
sector and for migrant workers. Social protection coverage remains extremely
limited, particularly for informal workers, the majority of whom are women.
Improving the skills of young people entering the labor force, and formalizing
informal employment, would generate economic benefits, increase resilience in
crisis, and reduce growing income inequality in the region.
2. Building on a decade of collaboration under their Memorandum of
Understanding, ADB and ILO will promote creation of decent work in developing
Asia and the Pacific in order to reduce poverty and vulnerability. The two
organizations will cooperate through active knowledge sharing, joint research
and analysis, policy development, advocacy, and technical cooperation. ADB and
ILO will focus cooperation on technical and vocational training, gender and the
labor market, regional integration and employment, core labor standards,
collection of employment data, country labor market diagnostics, and social
protection systems. The ILO brings to this partnership its unique tripartite
structure, which gives equal voice to workers, employers, and governments to
ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labor
standards and in shaping policies and programs.
3. Looking ahead, ADB
and the ILO call for accelerated action to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals by 2015. In addition, ADB and ILO will actively contribute to the shaping
of a post-2015 global development framework that supports a more inclusive,
equitable, and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.
4. ADB and the ILO call
upon the region to promote greater access to opportunities by expanding human
capacities, especially for the disadvantaged, through investments in developing
basic social protection floors and the social sectors.
5. ADB and ILO also reaffirm their support for the internationally
recognized core labor standards.
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