1.2 Introductory session
The introductory session was chaired by Ms. Horiuchi who first outlined for the participants the process and mechanics of the consultations, including the composition of the technical sessions and the respective group assignments. Two presentations were made by ILO staff; Mr. Roger Bohning, the Director of the ILO South East Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (SEAPAT) based in Manila, and Ms. Janine Rogers from the Bureau for Gender Equality based in ILO Geneva.
1.2.1 ILO technical report prepared for the Consultation
The report presented by Mr. Bohning covered those fields of the Beijing Platform for Action that fall within the competence of the ILO: the labour market, women workers’ rights and institutional developments surrounding these subjects. Where there are disparities between men and women, either in terms of labour force participation or income, gender gaps exist. The report was intended not only to document gender differentials but also to explain them. The explanations can be characterized as economic factors, cultural or social values, domestic policy influences and the impact of external positive factors. External factors might include the Beijing Conference and the ratification of ILO Conventions or technical cooperation activities. A chapter in the report consolidates recent gender-relevant legislation in the Asian or Pacific countries and ILO standards. The descriptive analysis is arranged under two broad headings: protection and equal opportunities. As regards protection, labour codes across the region often exclude women from particular types of work even where the hazards involved affect men and women indiscriminately or where hazards could be eliminated without denying employment opportunities to women workers. Equal opportunity legislation is being phased in gradually and mostly in the more advanced countries where formal sector employment predominates. The report also provides a set of basic questions that developing Asia Pacific member States of the ILO may wish to consider and adapt to their circumstances. The description of institutional developments in the region covered the following topics: national machinery, the participation of the ILO constituents in the machinery and the participation of women in decision-making in ILO, counterpart ministries and employers’ and workers’ organizations. The ILO’s technical cooperation activities during recent years were reviewed, with the following suggestions:
The presentation ended with the hope that the Consultation will not give rise only to more declarations, goals and targets but will result in identification of practical and realizable solutions to obtain concrete results.
Updated by TN. Approved by BKL. Last update: 5 June 2000.