ZCZC
BSS-50
ILO-BANGLADESH-PRIORITY
ILO sets four priority areas for Bangladesh
DHAKA, July 31, 2018 (BSS) – The International Labour Organization (ILO)
has set four priority areas for Bangladesh under Decent Work Country
Programme (DWCP) and finalised a guideline to work on the areas till 2020.
The four areas include skills development and creation of green jobs,
promotion of safe and clean working environments, social dialogue between
government, employers and workers, and social protection for all workers and
vulnerable groups, including protection against climate change.
ILO Country Director to Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen revealed his
organisation’s agenda while talking to reporters at Sonargaon Hotel in the
city today after finalising the guideline to work on the priority areas from
2017 to 2020.
Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment Afroza Khan, National
Coordination Committee for Workers Education (NCCWE) Chairperson Amirul Haque
Amin, Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) President Kamran T Rahman and ILO
Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen signed the guideline.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Afroza said Bangladesh is fully
supportive of the ILO’s Decent Work agenda and implemented two Decent Work
Country Programmes so far covering the periods 2006-2009 and 2012-2015.
“With the support of the ILO, we’ve succeeded in attaining the envisaged
goals and activities of the previous DWCPs and I believe that this trend will
continue in the future,” she added.
Director of ILO’s Decent Work Team for South Asia Dagmar Walter said: “We
are proud to work alongside the government, employers and workers in
Bangladesh to promote decent and productive employment opportunities for its
women and men.”
Much progress has been made in many areas, Walter said, adding that
however, certain challenges and gaps need to be addressed to keep up with the
ever changing world of work.
The ILO director hoped that this Decent Work Country Programme will make
a major contribution to the socioeconomic development of Bangladesh.
According to the ILO, DWCPs have two main objectives. They promote Decent
Work as a key component of national development strategies. At the same time,
they organise ILO knowledge, instruments, advocacy and cooperation at the
service of government, employers and workers.
DWCPs are the main vehicles for delivering ILO’s support to countries.
Each DWCP is organised around a limited number of priorities and outcomes.
The priorities for Bangladesh have been chosen on the basis of participatory
assessment of current challenges through stakeholder consultations involving
a wide range of constituents and other interested parties.
The new DWCP for Bangladesh is result-oriented and coordinated with
Bangladesh’s national policy documents and global development initiatives
such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The implementation of the DWCP is based on partnership among the
government, employers and workers as well as the ILO Country Office.
BSS/Asg/SAH/MRI/1857 hrs