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Mr. Ong noted, “The Agreement paves the way to
continue the momentum established through joint ASEAN-ILO efforts and
highlights the complementarities between ASEAN’s community building
initiatives and the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.” Mr.
Somavia said, “The Cooperation Agreement is of strategic importance
to the realization of the Asian Decent Work Decade launched at the
ILO’s Regional Meeting last year.
It provides a strong basis to work together in an effort to
ensure that regional integration contains a strong social dimension
and leads to a fair globalization.” Under
the Agreement, the ASEAN Secretariat and the ILO will deepen their
collaboration in the implementation of programmes and projects,
including in the areas of occupational health and safety, HIV/AIDS and
the workplace, the employment implications of trade liberalization,
youth employment, vocational training, social security and labour
migration. The two agencies will also cooperate in the exchange of
information, research studies, and representation at working level
meetings. ASEAN,
comprised of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, has a
population of more than 560 million, spending more than US$ 400
billion every year, and a labour force of 330 million. Between 2000
and 2006, the ASEAN region performed at an annual average real GDP
growth rate of 5.7 per cent. The
region’s unemployment rate, however, has increased from 5 per cent
6.6 per cent during the same period. Exports from ASEAN totalled US$
650 million in 2005, accounting for around 22 per cent of For more information please
contact: Tom
Netter
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Public Information
