Safe and fair migration
ILO Regional Director speech on social protection in Asia and the Pacific
ILO Regional-Director Tomoko Nishimoto, addressed the group of experts for strengthening regional cooperation on social protection in Asia and the Pacific.
Allow me to start by thanking ESCAP for inviting ILO to be one of the co-chairs of this expert group. We are honored to join in the effort to strength regional cooperation on such an important area - social protection.
I returned from Geneva yesterday where I had the chance to attend the International Labour Conference and witness a historical moment for the ILO with the adoption by our member states of the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.
Its adoption takes place at a time of transformative change in the world of work, driven by technological innovations, demographic shifts, environmental and climate change, and globalization.
As you all know, it is also a time of persistent inequalities, with profound impacts on the nature and future of work, and on the place and dignity of people in it. With the approval of the Declaration, Member States called the ILO to carry forward its mandate for social justice by further developing its human-centred approach to the future of work.
The approach that puts workers’ rights and the needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. I’m sure you will not be surprised when I tell you that Social Protection is a central element of this human-centred approach.
The Declaration calls for universal access to comprehensive and sustainable social protection, complementing the first call made by Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development - “a world where no one left behind”. That world cannot be attained without social protection.
Ladies and gentlemen, initiatives like this provide us with a great opportunity to witness the remarkable progresses achieved in the region in extending social protection.
I am very pleased to note that this meeting happens at a time when we witness a positive momentum in this region towards more inclusive social protection. More and more governments in our region place Social Protection at the core of their development agenda; Great news.
Success stories and common challenges need to be shared as they help us accelerate important efforts for greater public investment in social protection in countries of the region.
But I dare say to us all: Not good enough! Despite the past progress, it is clear that we have enormous unfinished business - the extension of social protection still remains a serious challenge for the region.
In our region, one in ten workers live in extreme poverty, a result in part from high levels of vulnerable employment, particularly in the form of informal work without adequate social protection. This disappointing situation is happening in the region which have enjoyed the sustained growth in the past decades, the region which enjoys the reputation as the engine of the world economy.
I expect the group of experts to become a powerful platform to candidly identify and address the causes of the persistent low levels of protection observed in our region. Further I dare the group of experts to live up to its name by developing new smarter and innovative solutions to the challenges identified.
This renewed commitment to social protection is a commitment to inclusive and sustainable development.
The commitment to social protection is also a commitment to a higher focus on redistribution, and the commitment to social protection is a commitment to promotion of domestic demand as an important engine of growth.
All clearly called for by 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals – a global consensus and policy framework. So here we stand with a resolute to continue our effort to work on the pledges we made under the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
Evidence increasingly available underlines social protection impact not only in terms of human capital and social development; but also in terms of enterprises productivity and its economic return.
Ladies and gentlemen, I can only conclude that social protection is a win-win solution – good for business, good for workers and good for the society as a whole.
Before closing I would like to share with you 3 points that we consider essential to ensure further progresses in Social Protection:
I would like to wish you all a fruitful meeting and that the conclusions of the work today provide us with the effective guidance required to strength the regional cooperation, which is so essential if we want these recommendations to be translated into a reality progressively in the coming years.
Thank you, Kob Kun Ka
I returned from Geneva yesterday where I had the chance to attend the International Labour Conference and witness a historical moment for the ILO with the adoption by our member states of the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.
Its adoption takes place at a time of transformative change in the world of work, driven by technological innovations, demographic shifts, environmental and climate change, and globalization.
As you all know, it is also a time of persistent inequalities, with profound impacts on the nature and future of work, and on the place and dignity of people in it. With the approval of the Declaration, Member States called the ILO to carry forward its mandate for social justice by further developing its human-centred approach to the future of work.
The approach that puts workers’ rights and the needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. I’m sure you will not be surprised when I tell you that Social Protection is a central element of this human-centred approach.
The Declaration calls for universal access to comprehensive and sustainable social protection, complementing the first call made by Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development - “a world where no one left behind”. That world cannot be attained without social protection.
Ladies and gentlemen, initiatives like this provide us with a great opportunity to witness the remarkable progresses achieved in the region in extending social protection.
I am very pleased to note that this meeting happens at a time when we witness a positive momentum in this region towards more inclusive social protection. More and more governments in our region place Social Protection at the core of their development agenda; Great news.
Success stories and common challenges need to be shared as they help us accelerate important efforts for greater public investment in social protection in countries of the region.
But I dare say to us all: Not good enough! Despite the past progress, it is clear that we have enormous unfinished business - the extension of social protection still remains a serious challenge for the region.
In our region, one in ten workers live in extreme poverty, a result in part from high levels of vulnerable employment, particularly in the form of informal work without adequate social protection. This disappointing situation is happening in the region which have enjoyed the sustained growth in the past decades, the region which enjoys the reputation as the engine of the world economy.
I expect the group of experts to become a powerful platform to candidly identify and address the causes of the persistent low levels of protection observed in our region. Further I dare the group of experts to live up to its name by developing new smarter and innovative solutions to the challenges identified.
This renewed commitment to social protection is a commitment to inclusive and sustainable development.
The commitment to social protection is also a commitment to a higher focus on redistribution, and the commitment to social protection is a commitment to promotion of domestic demand as an important engine of growth.
All clearly called for by 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals – a global consensus and policy framework. So here we stand with a resolute to continue our effort to work on the pledges we made under the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
Evidence increasingly available underlines social protection impact not only in terms of human capital and social development; but also in terms of enterprises productivity and its economic return.
Ladies and gentlemen, I can only conclude that social protection is a win-win solution – good for business, good for workers and good for the society as a whole.
Before closing I would like to share with you 3 points that we consider essential to ensure further progresses in Social Protection:
- One - A significant rise in the aggregate level of expenditure in social protection to allow a progressive realization of the universal right to social protection;
- Two - More efficient delivery in addition to expenditure increased is also required. Indeed, management and governance of social protection needs to be at the core of the efforts to extend social protection;
- Three - Social Protection systems need to adapt to the changing characteristics of labour markets and prepare for the future of work. In other words, we need to ensure that we are sensitive to particular challenges faced by informal sector – including those in new forms of work - and their families; migrant workers.
I would like to wish you all a fruitful meeting and that the conclusions of the work today provide us with the effective guidance required to strength the regional cooperation, which is so essential if we want these recommendations to be translated into a reality progressively in the coming years.
Thank you, Kob Kun Ka