Opening Remarks by
Mr. Shinichi Hasegawa
ILO Regional Director
for Asia and the Pacific

Introduction

Chair. Mr. Barresi. Minister Toongai. Distinguished delegates and guests. Ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for joining the ILO here in Melbourne. This is our second tripartite subregional forum on Decent Work in South East Asia and the Pacific.

We are fortunate to be in such a welcoming city. I would like to thank the Government, employers’ and workers’ organizations of Australia for your hospitality. And thank you for your abiding support of the ILO.

Tsunami

My first words this morning must be to those of you who have traveled from Indonesia. All of us in the ILO share a deep sadness at the devastation the earthquakes and tsunami wreaked on your country. You have our empathy, and our commitment to help you move forward. To get children back into schools and women and men back into decent and productive work.

The international community’s response to the disaster is unprecedented. Governments, international organizations, development partners, civil society groups and individual citizens from all countries have responded with exceptional generosity. The cooperation between all those involved in the relief operations has been similarly enormous - and unprecedented.

The ILO is playing its role. Our close links with Ministries of Labour, trade unions and employers’ organizations helped. We took part in needs assessment, dialogue and partnership with other international agencies. We worked with local communities on-the-ground. Our contribution has helped to place employment and livelihoods at the heart of rehabilitation and reconstruction work.

This experience will help us work in other countries in the subregion that are affected by crises, perhaps through civil and ethnic unrest, or local conflicts. The ILO must be ready to help our tripartite constituents cope with such emergencies. We must respond in effective, flexible and visible ways. I look forward to hearing your views on how best we can do that.

Decent work

This forum has a common frame – Decent Work – and several special themes.

It will look at globalization; at the HIV emergency; at safety and health at the workplace. This variety reflects the diversity of the countries of this subregion and the richness of their experiences in promoting Decent Work.

Above all such variety reflects the complexity of the challenges ahead.

Look at the workplaces in this part of the world. We see change. We see workers and employers enjoying new rights and new freedoms - including the freedom to organize and express their views. Thanks to technology and markets, they are also offered new opportunities to enhance their welfare that did not exist before. At the same time there are new hazards, including occupational hazards, and new threats, such as HIV/AIDS. If we look at labour markets we see that workplaces are constantly changing. Everywhere firms and jobs are restructured. In some sectors they grow suddenly, in others they shrink.

The tripartite partners face the constant challenge of managing these complex changes. The ILO feels this is a responsibility we can and should share.

Our Decent Work approach offers a framework to balance economic and social considerations when managing the complex changes of the global economy and our globalizing societies. This forum gives us an opportunity to share experiences and deepen our understanding of how this approach works.

It is important that Decent Work is developed and maintained as a common framework.

At the same time we must recognize the economic and social diversity of this region. Each country here has unique needs and we must tailor our assistance programs accordingly.

Since 2001 the ILO’s Asian constituents have recognized the importance of defining national plans of action for Decent Work. They promote decent work projects so that they meet local and national needs. This has required learning and adaptation – and I emphasised the importance of these processes in my preface to this Forum’s report.

This learning process should continue here in Melbourne. It is time to take stock of how far we have come, and chart a resolute course so we can do the job that lies ahead.

I believe our discussions in the next few days will help us draw lessons. They will suggest practical ways to promote of Decent Work by strengthening both national programmes and subregional cooperation.

Conclusion

Our learning will not stop in Melbourne. In October this year the ILO’s 14th Asian Regional Meeting will give us another chance to consolidate and broaden our knowledge about Decent Work policies and programmes.

The work we do at this forum will make a valuable contribution to the broader regional discussion that we will have in October. It will help set the direction of the ILO’s future work in Asia.

Let me wish you success in your discussions.

Thank you.