February 2013

1. Building knowledge-base and promoting rights of the Bangladesh workers on the move

   6 February 2013

   A Tripartite Workshop titled "Building Knowledge-base and Promoting Rights of the Bangladesh Workers on the Move" co-organized by the Human Development Research Centre (HDRC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Dhaka. The workshop included a wide range of stakeholders representing private and public sector banks, civil society organizations, migrant workers associations, international organizations, media and the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment (MEWOE). The workshop was conducted in order to gather information and exchange experiences to inform five comprehensive studies on international labour migration from Bangladesh.

2. Launch of the Media Guide on 'Reporting on Human Trafficking & Forced Labour'

   6 February 2013

   The Media Guide was developed by the ILO in partnership with the Sri Lanka Press Institute and the Sri Lanka Press Complaints Commission for all electronic and print media representatives. The guide is a response to the need to encourage reporting of cases on human trafficking and forced labour. While the initiative is aimed at introducing the subject in-depth to the media to facilitate accurate reporting of incidents as well as ensure protection of victims, it will also serve as a means of facilitating increased public awareness of the phenomenon. The launch will be attended by the members of the National Anti Trafficking Task Force, Key stakeholders and both electronic and print media.

3. A Series of Trainings for Piloting and Strengthening Enterprise Development Centres (Business Development Services Provider)

   1 February - 30 April 2013

   The trainings aim to to train, equip, and coach selected local potential agencies’ officials to be a trainer on entrepreneurship who could further facilitate and train entrepreneurship and micro business development for 450 indigenous peoples.

January 2013

1. Open Discussion on Opening Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities in Formal Working Sector

   31 January 2013

   The workshop aims to raise awareness of and promote employment access for persons with disabilities.

2. Stakeholder Workshop - Reintegration with Home Community: Perspectives of Returnee Migrant Workers in Sri Lanka

   31 January 2013

   The workshop expects to share the findings of a study conducted on 2000 returnee migrants from 15 Districts spread across Sri Lanka, commissioned by the Project on Improved Governance of Labour Migration of the ILO and conducted by the Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SPARC) of the University of Colombo in 2012. The workshop expects the participation of key officials from the Ministries of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations, External Affairs and Child Development and Womens’ Affairs, and key departments that serve under them, as well as international organization, civil society organizations and the media working on issues of labour migration and reintegration. The stakeholder workshop expects to finalize a set of key policy recommendation as guidelines to draw-up a sub-policy on reintegration.

3. Youth Employment Focal Points in Asia-Pacific

   31 January - 1 February 2013

   A retreat of Asia-Pacific youth employment focal points is planned for January 31- February 01, 2013. The meeting, to be held in Bangkok, will reflect on the nature of activities to be planned and will also agree on the first steps of a regional youth employment action plan.

4. Training-of-Trainers on Interest Based Negotiations and Joint Problem Solving with Employer and Union Partners

   30 January 2013

   The Promoting Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in Bangladesh Project (FPRW) held two separate training-of-trainer (ToT) courses on Interest Based Negotiations and Joint Problem Solving (IBN) with resource persons and trainers from the project’s employer association and union organization partners. The ToT courses are the second on-the-ground components of the FPRW cooperative programs with the US Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS).

5. Media Training Workshop Reporting on Gender Equality in Employment

   19 - 20 January 2013

   As part of the advocacy and awareness-raising strategy, and also to support greater policy debate and the development of reform initiatives, it is important that the media are aware of issues of discrimination in employment against women, are equipped to effectively report on these issues and to generate news stories to cover challenges affecting women’s employment opportunities.

6. Training on Respecting, Protecting and Fulfilling of Workers’ Rights

   15 - 16 January 2013

   A series of joint training sessions involving the Philippine National Police, the Department of Labor and Employment and the ILO will be held to promote freedom of association and workers rights by implementing agreed guidelines and adopting a human rights approach.

7. Long Term care system design in Thailand

   14 January - 29 March 2013

   The ILO is supporting the design of a Long Term care system in Thailand through cooperation with the French GIP-SPSI (Groupement d'Intérêt Public - Santé Protection Sociale International).

8. National and Provincial Workshops on Access to Employment and Decent Work

   14 - 18 January 2013

   The ILO Project under the Access to Employment and Non-Discrimination component of MAMPU is designed to promote economic and social empowerment of women through strategies that strengthen women’s access to and equitable involvement in formal employment and decent work in Indonesia.

9. Legislative Advocacy Planning Workshop for Stakeholders and Duty Bearers on Interventions to Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding for Workers in the Informal Workplace

   8 - 9 January 2013

   The two-day event was organized for stakeholders and duty bearers on the intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding for workers in the informal workplace.

10. A Series of Value Chain Analysis and Business Investment Survey for Five Local Competitive Products

    1 January - 31 March 2013

    The Institutionalizing Sustainable Livelihood Development is one year project funded by the Government of New Zealand and implemented by the International Labour Organization. This project aims at contributing to improved community welfare, in particular of indigenous Papuans through the functioning of local Government and civil society basic systems and processes for sustainable livelihood development in Papua region.

11. Support to the design of the health insurance system in Cambodia

    1 January - 31 March 2013

    The ILO is supporting the MOL of Cambodia in designing the health insurance branch of the National Social Security Fund. In January-March 2013 a series of missions has been undertaken focussing on the IT system design and the development of a medical classification of the activities of the health care facilities.

December 2012

1. The Commemoration of the International Migrant Day: The 2012 Review – Progress, Opportunities and Challenges on Labour Migration

   18 December 2012

   The 2012 review is conducted as part of raising the media awareness concerning issues related to labour migration.

2. Workshop on "National employment policy for Cambodia with a focus on young women and men”

   18 - 19 December 2012

   This meeting will bring together some 100 senior representatives of the Government’s line ministries, employers’ and workers’ organisations as well as key stakeholders. Participants will include senior officials (director or deputy level) from the ministries of labour, industry, commerce, interior, information, rural development, planning, women’s affairs, agriculture and finance, NIS (National Institute of Statistics), CARD (Council for Agriculture and Rural Development), NSSF (National Social Security Fund); NAA (National AIDS Authority); SNCCL (Sub-National Committee on Child Labour), NEA (National Employment Agency, SNEC (Supreme National Economic Council), and senior members of CAMFEBA and Trade Unions, youth representatives including university students, development partners/UN agencies, including ADB and ILO, as well as representatives from the implementing. The objective of the workshop is (1) To discuss the findings of the background studies. (2) To discuss implications for the NEP of the recommendations made by the background studies in terms of: a. main components of the NEP; b. existing labour market institutions or new institutional/coordination arrangments (e.g the expanded role of the National Training Board, CARD) that can potentially address the recommendations made; and c. policy areas that need collaboration with other ministries or other institutions/organizations.

3. National Workshop on Knowledge Sharing and Project Closure (Dissemination of Final Reports of Child Labour Assessment Surveys in Kampot and Kep, of Good Practices and Lessons Learned Documentation, and of Expanded Final Evaluation of the ILO IPEC Time Bound Support Project, Phase II in Cambodia)

   17 - 18 December 2012

   The ILO IPEC TBP Support Project, Phase II in Cambodiais ending on 29 December 2012. To conclude the project, Child Labour Assessment Surveys in the representative target provinces of Kampot and Kep, Good Practices and Lessons Learned Documentation, and the Expanded Final Evaluation of the Projecthave been conducted. The final reports of these are being finalized which will be printed and disseminated to all project’s partners and stakeholders in Cambodia for future reference and action. Since the project is preparing to close after its intensive implementation over the last 4 years and with the knowledge and experiences generated through these recent studies and EFE of the project, the project has planned to hold the captioned workshop purposely for knowledge sharing where the final reports and key findings of these exercises will be presented to all project’s partners and stakeholders, giving them a forum where they can reflect and share their feedback and observations on the key achievements, GPs and LLs, gaps, challenges and recommendations that have been identified by the independent consultants from the project’s implementation with their involvements for the last 4 years and for them to be prepared for their continued commitment and efforts to combat child labour, especially its worst forms towards achieving the country’s twin goals by 2015 and 2016. This workshop will be participated about 120 particpants from the Government institutions, Employers and Workers' Organizations, Civil Society Groups and other project's stakeholders.

4. Livelihood Cluster Responds to Onslaught of Typhoon Pablo

   13 December 2012

   The onslaught of Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental affected the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and their families. Agriculture and agricultural industries, service sectors and infrastructure are among the critical areas for livelihood recovery.

5. 

   Visit of the ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder

   13 - 16 December 2012

   Mr Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General will visit Thailand from 13 to 16 December 2012. During his visit, he will meet the Prime Minister, the Minister of Labour, representatives of the Government, workers, employers and international orgnizations and visit some project sites.

6. Expert Group Meeting on Green Growth and Green Jobs for Youth

   12 - 13 December 2012

   The expert group meeting will be organized jointly by the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of UNDESA, ESCAP, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the UNEP. The meeting will take place at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok from 12-13 December 2012.