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Minister Thienthong
Ministers of Labour and Heads of ASEAN delegations
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN
Senior officials and delegates
Representatives of the ASEAN partner countries of
China
,
Japan
and
Korea
,
Distinguished guests,
And permit me to highlight Brunei Darussalam who last year joined the ILO,
Dear Friends,
To our host, the Government of
Thailand
, thank you for your hospitality and warm welcome.
Let me begin by expressing my profound sadness over the immense human
tragedy that has hit
Myanmar
. During this difficult time
of crisis, I want to reiterate our solidarity with the people of
Myanmar
and our commitment to the regional and international effort of support.
Dear friends, thank you so much for your invitation.
It is a deep honour. I
am very happy to be with all of you at a moment when you are making
history in this region.
The
ASEAN Charter is a fundamental political commitment.
It is the foundation for building a powerful ASEAN Community with a
potential for still greater influence in the region and the world.
The values and the vision around which your leaders have come together are
also those of the ILO Constitution and the Decent Work Agenda.
To quote your Charter: you
are seeking to build “a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of
society are encouraged to participate…and benefit from the process
of…integration and community building.”
You have a vision “where all people enjoy equitable access to
opportunities for total human development regardless of gender.”
“Unity in diversity” as well as respect for fundamental
freedoms, human rights and the promotion of social justice.
All of this while balancing the economic, social and environmental
dimension of a sustainable development vision.
These are powerful statements, especially as we are
living through a process of globalization that—with all its benefits
that your region knows so well—has in fact, for so many, devalued the
dignity of working families.
You have said that on the contrary, the way to win in the markets of
today, through productivity and competitiveness, is by honouring the
dignity of work and responding to the legitimate aspirations of people and
families for a better life. In
other words, a people-centred development.
It is inspiring. It
is compelling. It is also an
uphill struggle with many obstacles along the way.
Together with the ASEAN
Secretariat, we have already joined forces to tackle common
challenges--from youth
entrepreneurship to occupational safety and health, from labour statistics
to migration.
I want to thank former
ASEAN Secretary-General Ong for his leadership and with whom we signed our
important cooperation agreement. And,
of course, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, a
major international figure who is a longtime friend of the ILO for whom I
have the highest respect. Some
years ago, he was a member of the World Commission of the Social Dimension
of Globalization established by the ILO.
ASEAN development success
Among the almost 600 million citizens of ASEAN whom you represent, we see
Asia
in all its diversity. The
success story that has unfolded in the region over the last decades is
well known to the world.
Greater economic openness has fuelled growth and job creation.
Today, the ASEAN consumer market is larger in terms of spending
power than
India
—with half the population.
But you have also identified significant challenges and shortcomings.
Development gaps among you. A
large and growing informal economy. Despite
large reductions in working poverty, nearly 150 million workers and their
families are under the $2 poverty line.
These are the issues to which the Prime Minister referred this
morning.
And as Labour Ministers, you
have had to deal with different forms of labour abuses—which
unfortunately are still with us—and you have done it with limited
resources for labour inspection and administration and crowded labour
courts.
Add to these challenges the tremendous global turbulence and anxiety of
today. Financial markets prone to speculation and instability. You know
only too well this kind of experience.
Inequalities are rising globally.
And skyrocketing
food prices are taking a big bite out of family budgets and people are
beginning to protest in the streets.
At the same time, I see a deep consciousness among leaders in the region
for proactive policies to sustain growth with equity.
In the
Philippines
, you have the “three e’s” of “economy, education, environment”.
In
Malaysia
, it is “employment, entrepreneurship, education”.
In
Indonesia
, you have shaped your national priorities around three objectives:
“Pro-growth, Pro-poor, Pro-employment.”
All of your various national programmes may be best summed up in the
Charter’s call for a “caring, sharing community.”
And, most importantly, here in Thailand, His Majesty the King who honoured
the ILO by receiving me yesterday has articulated the vision of a
sufficiency economy based on a strong moral foundation which I think has
enormous universal value.
From all these perspectives, one conclusion is clear: labour and
business—the social partners in the ILO’s context--issues are clearly
at the heart of ASEAN’s future challenges.
ASEAN leadership
With a “can-do” spirit, you are moving the Decent Work Agenda forward in ASEAN.
It is an agenda that transforms through productive job
creation—empowers through workers rights—liberates through social
protection—and unites through social dialogue.
It is a living agenda valid for all stages of life.
There are ILO policies that accompany working families throughout
life: from maternity protection to active aging—through important
transitions—from school to work...to unemployment support…to new
skills development…to helping people organize and voice their interests.
You are showing policy leadership in a variety of areas:
·
entrepreneurship initiatives in
Viet Nam
·
youth employment in
Indonesia
·
skills development in
Singapore
and
Malaysia
·
extension of social security coverage in
Thailand
·
improving working conditions in
Cambodia
·
tackling child labour and human trafficking in the
Mekong
region
·
safety and health through an ASEAN OSHNET now led by Lao
·
and so many other examples.
And you are establishing networks to advance horizontal
cooperation and share experiences.
Let me
also salute
Cambodia
,
Indonesia
and the
Philippines
for ratifying all eight core conventions relating to the fundamental principles and rights at
work.
I would encourage all members that have not yet ratified all the core
conventions to give priority to this, as part of your commitment to
workers rights.
Dear friends, the ASEAN of the future depends very much on how you deal
with the vulnerable of today— what I would call the Marginalized
Majority who are left on the sidelines of globalization’s success.
That’s precisely the decent work focus that you have chosen for
this meeting.
Today, let me highlight five key issues that I believe
are critical to strengthening what I would call the social dimension of
ASEAN integration.
First, building an effective social floor
The basic social security component--what some see as
safety nets—is generally understood. Access to basic health care; protection for children,
the old and disabled; and social assistance for the poor or unemployed and
other features that vary according to country.
The time has come to build
on these elements to develop the notion of a comprehensive social floor
that permits people not only to move out of poverty, but also to have a
sure footing to further move ahead in life.
I
envisage a solid social floor that integrates social investments,
education and rights with market opportunities to expand social mobility
based on increasingly more productive and better jobs in competitive
economies.
Ultimately,
a solid social floor is the foundation for building a solid middle class.
And it’s critical to ensuring people’s security and a sense of
community.
It
can be built step by step according to each country’s realities and
needs with development cooperation available for least developed
countries.
I believe that the diverse
experience of your countries and your dialogue partners make this region a
good place for exploring this approach in practical terms.
We will convene a meeting in
New Delhi
later this month to share experiences on social security for informal
economy workers.
Second, strengthening employment and productivity in
the rural economy
Three
quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas and agricultural work
in ASEAN accounts for 45 percent of total active labour.
When we have a crisis, many things become obvious.
With the food price crisis, it is obvious now that we have not
given enough attention to agricultural production and productivity.
I want to emphasize support for the initiative of the Asian Development
Bank and lead UN agencies for immediate assistance.
It
is essential to find ways of increasing production and help small farmers
and the most vulnerable. So
there are things to be done immediately, but there is also a structural
problem. That includes
addressing increasing employment-intensive investments in areas that can
boost agricultural productivity such as rural infrastructure—irrigation,
rural electrification, rural transport.
And it means supporting the efforts to give voice to the silent rural
majority by strengthening their organizations.
With a certain degree of foresight, the ILO put some time ago the issues
of rural employment on the agenda of the International Labour Conference
later this month. This will be
an extremely timely discussion for us all.
Its value added is the opportunity to share your proposals for
action within an international tripartite consensus.
Third, promoting
sustainable enterprises particularly small and medium enterprises
The
ILO’s constituents--employers and workers together with
governments--shape and represent the productive sector of the economy.
We all know that small and medium enterprises drive job creation.
Supporting sustainable SMEs is our challenge.
Many get up and go, but many don’t survive.
We must create the conditions to help them move from survival to
sustainability. It is one of
the paths to moving from the informal to the formal economy.
It is also a key route to expanding domestic markets and to
improving competitiveness and productivity of the overall economy.
Much has been done in all countries—and I would highlight
for example the Factory Improvement Programme in
Vietnam
and elsewhere, and the Start and Improve Your Business Initiative.
But we are still falling short.
Too often, policies continue to be conceived principally with the
interests of larger companies in mind which do not necessarily reflect the
needs of small companies. Meanwhile
the informal economy keeps growing.
You
already helped to shape a better ILO approach last year.
The framework for the promotion of sustainable enterprises is a
comprehensive global consensus.
What
does it imply for SMEs? Skills
are the backbone of empowerment for workers and enterprises.
Also making available management, accounting and marketing support,
access to finance and technology, safety and health systems.
There is much more that can be done to improve the quantity and quality of
job generating growth in small enterprises.
Maybe an ASEAN initiative for sustainable small enterprises could
help spotlight this issue and change things around.
Fourth, Migration
This is one of the most delicate political challenges
we all face. Migration has
always been with us. But it
has never been as complex as it is today and it is where abuses tend to be
hidden and go unreported.
I welcome the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of
Migrant Workers. This is
an important area for our continued collaboration – and we were pleased
to support the ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour which was just held in
Manila
. The ILO has put on the
table the nonbinding multilateral framework for labour migration.
In migration, preserving
the dignity of work and the worker is particularly important especially
for those most vulnerable—from combating the scourge of human
trafficking to tackling the hidden abuses of domestic work.
Of course, the overwhelming majority are women.
And this is once again a reminder that we need to recognize the
broader and particular challenges of improving the rights of women.
Finally, Green jobs
Your leaders speak of a vision of “a clean and green ASEAN with fully
established mechanisms for sustainable development to ensure the
protection of the region’s environment.”
This
will require major changes in technologies and production and consumption
patterns. It entails a
transition process that has already begun and may well last a couple of
decades.
That productive transition will take place in enterprises.
Important ILO tools can help smooth out that process and take into
account the particular needs of least developed and middle income
countries.
To begin with, promoting and identifying the many technological
innovations, investment opportunities, enterprise and quality job creating
potential of a sustainable development path.
At the same time, we want to look at the adaptation and social protection
needs of enterprises and workers that will be adversely affected by the
production and consumption shifts involved.
If we don’t look at potential job losses as well as job creation,
we risk a backlash down the road.
As a result, the need for sound social dialogue and good industrial
relations systems will be critical to successful adjustment.
After meeting with you, I will be on my way to a G8 Ministers meeting in
Japan
where we have been asked together with the Ministers of Labour of
Thailand
and
Indonesia
to stimulate a discussion on strategies for green jobs.
In all of these areas, I invite you to further action:
in your national policies, in the Decent Work Country Programmes
that you develop according to your priorities, in the ILO’s Strategic
Policy Framework 2010-2015, in regional and international cooperation.
And, as always, the ILO is at your service as you advance in the
implementation of Asian Decent Work Decade you approved in Busan.
In this respect, let me say that the Office that I head will continue to
engage with the government of
Myanmar
—through dialogue and negotiations to address forced labour situations
as mandated by the International Labour Conference and the Governing Body.
Dealing with Globalization
Let me also say that in
dealing with all of these issues, ASEAN will also have to address the need
for a fairer globalization process.
What have we learned?
·
There
are many benefits, but not well distributed among and within countries.
·
The
existing model of globalization can reduce poverty, but it increases
inequality.
·
Economic
growth has been important but it has not stopped the growth of the
informal economy.
·
Productivity
has grown significantly, but it is not expressed in significantly better
salaries for workers.
·
A
global financial system prone to speculation and even greed take away
resources needed to invest in enterprises of the real economy.
·
And
the list could go on.
So must we stop globalization? Certainly
not—open societies and open economies are better for everybody.
But we certainly need to shape it better—to manage it in a more
balanced way.
We need a better balance between the regulatory and fiscal functions of
the state, the dynamism and creativity of markets, the democratic voice of
society, and the needs and aspirations of individuals, families and
communities.
I have no doubt that it is possible but we must make it a shared political
priority of the international community.
The ASEAN Community can play an important leadership role in this
discussion.
Celebrating together
Dear friends, in this region with its depth of history and its respect for
history, I would like to invite you to celebrate the ILO’s 90th
anniversary next year.
Let us use that moment to focus on national action for decent work.
A series of national summits can be convened around the common
agenda of “Social Dialogue for Decent Work and a Fair Globalization”.
The idea is to do it in the same week worldwide.
So in effect, it would be a global network of national summits—a sort of
global summit at the local level—through the power of social dialogue.
And let me end on that
note: Tripartism and social
dialogue are empowering.
Whether at the local or national levels, people want their leaders to come
together to focus on solutions that matter most in their lives and their
future. The issues that have
brought you here today.
If we want to move forward
together, there is no substitute for dialogue.
I urge you to ensure that both workers and employers in this region have a
voice within the ASEAN Community through the Confederation of Employers
(ACE) and the ASEAN Trade Union Council (ATUC).
If we disregard dialogue then imbalances, tensions and recriminations
emerge strongly and countries become weaker.
Effective mechanisms for dialogue, organization and voice empower
societies.
This
is not easy. Dialogue is based
on trust—on the belief that each side can listen to the other and feel
that together, common ground is being reached.
There isn’t a single design for social dialogue—it depends on
the history, culture and tradition of each society.
But heading the ILO, and also being someone who comes from a developing
country, I know how much the lack of dialogue can sometimes hold societies
back. I also know how the
capacity to make dialogue work empowers societies and empowers a country
to negotiate and defend its interests internationally.
In terms of advancing on our own social dialogue challenges, all of this
means we need to keep reinforcing labour ministries and strengthening workers’ and employers’ organizations.
Your charter reminds us of
the goal: “a people-oriented ASEAN where all are encouraged to
participate.” On that
journey, you can count on the ILO to be with you every step of the way.
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