It gives me great pleasure to address this distinguished gathering of constituents from South-East Asia and the Pacific Sub-Region, along with all those concerned with the improvement of working conditions.

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to New Zealand’s Honourable Minister of Labour Margaret Wilson and to the Government of New Zealand for extending their support in creating a conducive environment for discussing critical issues in the world of work by hosting this forum. We greatly appreciate your efforts and cooperation.

I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate representatives from Vanuatu and Timor-Leste on their accession to the ILO in May 2003 and August 2003, respectively. This brings the total number of ILO member States in Asia and the Pacific to 28. We look forward to working closely with you in promoting decent and productive work for women and men in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

We also look forward to the prospect of other Pacific island states, joining the ILO by the end of the decade. These countries have been actively embracing ways of raising their voices in international forums in a more collective way so that their common issues and concerns can be recognised and properly addressed.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We are gathered here this week to consolidate the progress being made on the formulation and implementation of National Plans of Action for Decent Work.

Decent Work is a development concept, which aims to bring about a balance between the social and economic dimensions of development by integrating four strategic objectives - rights at work, employment, social protection and social dialogue. It cares about workers in both the formal and informal economies.

In short, decent work means providing an environment in which people can meet their basic needs, and those of their families. They should have the opportunity to build some kind of protection against illness and old age, and send their children to school, not work. Poverty, and the prospect of poverty lead to a daily struggle for survival.

While work is the best route out of poverty, we cannot legislate employment in and poverty out. Poverty elimination is impossible unless economies generate opportunities for investment, entrepreneurship, job creation and sustainable livelihoods. This is a long, complex process requiring all elements of society to work together. We must harness the unique combined strength of governments, employers and workers – the global community of work represented by the ILO’s constituents – to make a concerted drive against poverty.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The idea of developing a National Plan of Action for Decent Work (NPADW) was initiated at the 13^th Asian Regional Meeting of ILO held in Bangkok in August 2001. The tripartite delegates in attendance concluded that each country formulate a formal plan, which would enshrine an effective strategy and programme to promote the Decent Work Agenda relative to each nation’s individual circumstances.

It is certainly clear that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. In the efforts to implement the Decent Work Agenda, we must maintain a practical outlook in an effort to solve the problems at country level. Therefore, it should be the responsibility of all countries to work to realise these goals. These goals will require regular reviews to meet changing needs and, in this sense, a long-term perspective is required to effectively promote decent work.

This week’s meeting provides an opportunity to share lessons learned and best practices from our experiences, and also identify common issues and potential solutions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Seventh Meeting of the Forum Economic Ministers held in Majuro, the Marshall Islands in June 2003 identified the need to address economic disparities, improve opportunities, and reduce the number of people in poverty. Australia, the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Republic of Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu were all represented at this meeting.

The meeting highlighted the need to determine practical actions to mainstream economic, social and environmental objectives, as three pillars of an integrated sustainable development process. They called for cooperative relationships between economic, social and environmental agencies, and participation of communities and civil society, as a primary step towards policy integration.

We can see the relevance of the Decent Work Agenda in addressing the issues raised by the Economic Ministers in Majuro. Countries from the region and the sub-regions have shared the challenges of addressing such issues.

The small scale of Pacific island economies and low levels of either foreign or domestic investment means that it is harder for new entrants to the labour market to find formal employment. High rates of population growth and school dropouts make youth employment a major concern for all these countries. The entrance of more women into the labour market seeking formal employment is another issue that requires our close attention.

Most of these countries previously relied on assistance from former colonial administrators for economic growth, including large aid flows and preferential access to export markets. These arrangements are likely to offer fewer benefits in the future. This poses a great challenge for these countries to find alternative arrangements and better manage their natural, financial and human resources.

Recent political unrest in the region has had a negative impact on the economic and social environment of some countries. Democracy and democratically-run institutions, as well as improvements in the institutional capacity of social partners, are vital to ensuring rights at work and a fair share of national wealth for the workers who generate it.

Creating a favourable environment for social dialogue in politically-volatile societies will remain a challenge for years to come. Such situations make it difficult to achieve the goal of social justice through the provision of decent work.

The improvement of working conditions in relatively smaller enterprises, and occurrences of work-related accidents and diseases, are of concern in most, if not all the countries in the region. Socio-economic insecurity, caused by economic trends, including changes due to globalisation and new technologies, is quite evident in these small economies.

Two months ago in Auckland, the heads of the Pacific island states adopted a Communiqué in the Thirty-Fourth Pacific Islands Forum. HIV/AIDS and disability were acknowledged as priority development issues, which require immediate attention. We understand the consequences of these issues in the workplace need to be addressed properly so as to ensure the economic well being of workers, and so that they are able to retain their human dignity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Implementation of the Decent Work Programme worldwide is still in its infancy. In South-East Asia and the Pacific, however, the Philippines has gained significant achievements as a country involved in the Decent Work Pilot Programme since 2001. Let us learn from its experiences and those of Indonesia, the second country in the region to launch and begin implementing a National Plan of Action for Decent Work.

It is very encouraging to see that both New Zealand and Australia are in the process of preparing National Plans of Action for Decent Work.

One of the advantages of having a National Plan of Action for Decent Work lies in its transparency in sharing ideas as to how individual activities relate to each other in terms of national priorities. The progress of implementation is monitored in order to identify problems and therefore seek relevant solutions.

In order to develop a system that fosters equitable and sustainable development for countries in the region, continuous assistance and support is required. The support of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, and, in particular the United States of America remains essential in this regard. The ILO will continue to facilitate additional meetings of this kind for national, sub-regional, regional and international dialogue in addressing the common issues and challenges to decent work.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I remain convinced that decent work is a vitally important objective in bringing about more equitable and sustainable development. Decent work is about real people, their lives, families and aspirations. Our success will be measured against the progress we make in reducing poverty and increasing opportunities for decent employment for men and women in the region and sub-regions. With this in mind, I wish you all a positive and fruitful meeting

Thank you.