The Government of Sri Lanka has recently deposited with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the instrument of ratification of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122). The ratification of Convention 122 was done with a view to stimulating economic growth and development, raising levels of living standards, meeting manpower requirements and overcoming unemployment and underemployment, declaring and pursuing an active policy designed to promote full, productive and freely chosen employment. Sri Lanka is the 110th ILO Member State to have ratified this priority Convention, which is included among the four standards that are the most significant from the viewpoint of governance.

With this ratification, the Government of Sri Lanka has given a clear signal of its commitment to actively promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment, in consultation with the social partners.

With the support of the ILO, the Government of Sri Lanka already took steps in this direction with the development of the National Human Resources and Employment Policy (NHREP), adopted after extensive consultations throughout the country, with various ministries and its social partners. Sri Lanka, despite its substantial gains reflected in overall social indicators, still encounters challenges of high levels of youth unemployment, female unemployment and a significant level of employment in the informal sector lending itself to showing up ‘decent work’ gaps that need to be addressed as a matter of priority. The NHREP was developed with focused attention on its implementation towards a ‘decent work’ outcome. This led to the development of a Master Plan for implementation engaging over 15 line ministries in the process. This Master Plan includes Key Performance Indicators inter alia and is presently updated and monitored by the Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations with the ILO’s support.