Feature articles

2009

1. In managing migrant labour in ASEAN, Thailand should take a lead

   27 October 2009

   The Government of Thailand needs to think boldly about its labour migration policies if it is to be ready for future demographic, economic and labour force trends. In our new report, “Agenda for Labour Migration Policy in Thailand”, we urge the Government to be the first in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to experiment with the free movement of labour across its borders, beginning with Lao PDR. It works between India and Nepal, and in the European Union. So why can’t it work here?

2. Climate change and jobs - dealing with the myths

   08 October 2009

   Asia and the Pacific are very exposed to the impact of climate change. Therefore, progress towards a global climate deal is crucial for its development and its stability. But such a global journey to a low carbon and climate resilient future will necessarily involve the world of work and those who will actually do the job, says Sachiko Yamamoto, Regional Director, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

3. Climate change in Jabonga, Philippines - the water is already rising

   24 September 2009

   Gingging Poyo cuddles her baby after a day’s work. The 31-year-old mother is part of the maintenance staff of a lake resort in Jabonga. “I grew up in this place so I decided to settle here with my family,” she says. Jabonga, a town in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines, seems to have many natural advantages to offer a young family: a view of mountains, rock formations, underwater caves, waterfalls, diving sites and a fresh water lake. However, changing weather trends in Jabonga are affecting many residents, including Gingging and her family.

4. The Impact of Financial Crisis on Labour Migration and HIV: the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

   14 August 2009

   During economic crises migrant workers are often the most vulnerable group of workers as they have the most insecure terms of employment. As it turns out, the current global economic crisis is no different, as migrant workers of various nationalities find themselves on the receiving end of the downturn.

5. Cost and Benefit Ratio in Implementing HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme in Company: the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

   14 August 2009

   What is the potential loss for companies if they do not implement HIV/AIDS workplace programmes? What is the benefit for a private sector company to invest in HIV prevention, care and support?

6. Strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS among Mobile and Migrant Workers: Global Partnership in the Maritime Sector: the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

   14 August 2009

   Strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS among Mobile and Migrant Workers: Global Partnership in the Maritime Sector

7. Workplace programmes to target clients of sex workers: the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

   14 August 2009

   Men who buy sex from women are the largest population group at risk of contracting HIV, outnumbering injecting drug users and men who have sex with men in Asia and the Pacific region. To highlight the need for increased coverage of interventions for clients of sex workers, the ILO took the opportunity of the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) to organize a satellite session titled “Reaching Clients of Sex Workers through Workplace Interventions,” on 12 August, 2009.

8. The Plight of a Migrant Worker with HIV/AIDS: the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

   14 August 2009

   Marites Cardines is a former migrant worker from the Philippines. As a migrant worker her dream was simple; to help her family get out of poverty. She started working as a migrant domestic worker in Qatar in 1992 when she was only 17 years old. But her experience was of abuse, poor food and low pay, and ultimatly infection with HIV.

9. Q&A with Ms Sachiko Yamamoto: the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP)

   10 August 2009

   The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) is being held from 9 to 13 August 2009 in Bali, Indonesia. Ms Sachiko Yamamoto, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, explains the impact of the ILO’s activities on HIV and AIDS in the region.

10. 

    The Global Jobs Pact: helping Asia and the Pacific recover from the unemployment crisis

    15 July 2009

    Sachiko Yamamoto, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, explains the Global Jobs Pact and its proposals for a sustainable recovery in the countries of this region. The Pact was agreed by participants at the International Labour Conference in Geneva in June 2009.

11. 

    The Economic Crisis in Asia: It’s about real people, real jobs

    26 June 2009

    When the financial crisis predictably turned into a jobs crisis, the Asia-Pacific region found itself facing mass unemployment. As many as 100 million people in Asia could be unemployed this year, according to ILO estimates. Allan Dow, ILO press officer, reports from Thailand.

12. 

    Decent Work for domestic workers: a long way to go

    17 June 2009

    The International Labour Organization (ILO) – the UN agency dealing with work-related issues - and other women’s advocacy groups consider domestic work to be among the most precarious of occupations. A report to the 2009 International Labour Conference, currently taking place in Geneva, says that the present economic downturn and global jobs crisis is likely to aggravate those vulnerabilities.

13. 

    Power for the powerless: the woman behind India’s ‘Gentle Revolution'

    03 June 2009

    Nearly four decades ago Dr Bhatt, now 76, founded what has become India’s largest and most unusual trade union. The members are waste-pickers, street vendors, incense stick rollers, construction and agricultural workers, and home-based workers. They are the so-called informal economy workers - women at the bottom of the ladder who have no job security or social safety net. The organization Dr Bhatt started to help them, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), now has more than a million members, half of them in her home state, Gujarat.

14. 

    India’s barefoot solar engineers fight climate change and poverty

    03 June 2009

    At the forefront of what the International Labour Organization (ILO) – the UN agency that deals with work and workplace issues – called Green Jobs; jobs are being created as a result of economies adapting to climate and environmental change.

15. 

    By cooking and cleaning, Cambodia’s Mr Mom sweeps away poverty

    03 June 2009

    The Women's Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality (WEDGE) programme, run by the International Labour Organization (ILO), not only teaches women about business and couples about budgeting, saving and making better financial decisions, it also gets families to rethink traditional roles.

16. Fish and fairs support economic development in Sri Lanka

    30 April 2009

    By Roel Hakemulder, Advisor, Enter-Growth Project, Sri Lanka. The ornamental fish breeders of Polonnaruwa District in Sri Lanka had a problem--not enough water. In 2007, with support from the ILO’s Sida-funded Enterprise for Pro-poor Growth project (Enter-Growth), the District Enterprise Forum, conducted an analysis and identified ways to solve their problems. These included improving their skills, help them get finance and provide better information on market requirements.

17. The ILO - 90 years of hope

    21 April 2009

    Opinion Editorial by Sachiko Yamamoto, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific on the occasion of the ILO’s 90th anniversary

18. Getting an education in Papua

    01 April 2009

    By Urmila Sarkar, Child Labour and Youth Employment Specialist, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Papua, home to 50 million indigenous people and 300-400 distinct indigenous communities with their own languages, beliefs and livelihoods, is also home to high levels of poverty, child labour and jobless youth.

19. Achieving the seafarers' international bill of rights - half way there!

    25 February 2009

    When the International Labour Organization adopted the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) on 23 February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia called it a historic moment for the world’s more than 1.2 million seafarers. Three years later this key global agreement is close to achieving the support it needs to enter into force.

20. Economic meltdown – this crisis has a woman’s face

    18 February 2009

    Feature article on the effect of the economic crisis on women by Amelita King Dejardin. Gender expert, ILO