BANGKOK, 28 February 2019 – Thailand’s Minister of Labour has identified public-private collaboration as crucial to bring responsible business practices into supply chains in the country.

Presiding the event on “Decent Work for Sustainable enterprises in global supply chains", the Minister of Labour, H.E. Police General Adul Sangsingkeo, stressed that: “A close collaboration of all stakeholders - the government, the private sector, and civil society organisations as well as academics - at the national and regional levels is crucial to drive forward and work together in partnership to promote decent work.”

The stakeholders' engagement event, organised in the context of the joint EU-ILO-OECD Responsible Supply Chains in Asia project, brought together representatives of government, workers’ and employers’ organisations, enterprises and experts from ILO for discussions on the labour dimension of Corporate Social Responsibility/Responsible Business Conduct and share practical tools in managing decent work in supply chains.

H.E. Mr. Pirkka Tapiola, Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand, stated that "the Responsible Supply Chains in Asia project, where the EU, ILO and OECD partner up with Thailand, helps investors and enterprises understand their responsibilities and create policy environments that promote responsible business conduct in their operational and sourcing practices. Responsible and transparent supply chains lead to stronger societies where the social, economic and environmental dimensions of doing business are harmoniously merged. All of us here today - governments, businesses, workers, employers and civil society organisations - have a role to play."

Introducing the Responsible Supply Chains in Asia project to the participants, Tomoko Nishimoto, ILO's Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, explained that it is funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the ILO and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“The world needs good quality jobs and global supply chains can be a positive engine of development to create those jobs, boost incomes and improve livelihoods for workers, their communities and their nations. But only if they are run on a fair, responsible and sustainable basis,” she added.

Discussions centred on policy frameworks and the relevance of socially responsible labour practices in the current context of Thailand and its place in regional and international trade. Practitioners shared news on trends, good practices and practical tools for the implementation of socially responsible business practices in global supply chains. Examples of responsible labour practices implemented by leading brands in the garment and agriculture sectors were also featured.

The Responsible Supply Chains in Asia Project is a European Union-funded project developed in close collaboration with ILO and OECD that enables businesses to dialogue on challenges and opportunities in relation to corporate social responsibility/responsible business conduct in six Asian countries – China, Japan, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

In Thailand, the project’s focus is on the agriculture and automotive sectors, both of which account for a high number of jobs in the region and play an important role in trade linkages with the EU, within the Thai economy and across Asia. This initiative is one of the expressions of the EU's long-standing commitment to promote human rights, decent work and sustainable development. For more information about the Responsible Supply Chains in Asia project, visit www.ilo.org/rsca.

For more information please contact
Ms. Chayanich Thamparipattra
National Project Coordinator
thamparipattra@ilo.org, 094 772 3322 

For interview requests please contact
Ms Jiraporn Wongpaithoon
Information Officer
jiraporn@ilo.org, 089 900 5654