ILO/IOE Regional Conference of Employer and Business Membership Organizations (EBMOs) in Asia and the Pacific
Towards greater resilience, innovation and value: Strategic and innovative approaches to organizational development and management of EBMOs.
On March 11, 2022 ILO’s Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ACT/EMP) and the International Organization of Employers (IOE) organized a virtual Asia Pacific regional conference to discuss strategic and innovative approaches to organizational development and management of employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs). 70 EBMO representatives at the senior leadership and management level from 30 EBMOs participated in the event.
Rich discussions enabled the participants to better appreciate the issues and challenges facing their roles, functions and strategies in the context of recovery and resilience for the future. Experiences and lessons learnt were shared to promote the strategic rethink needed if EBMOs are to serve members in a new and unpredictable environment and invest in resilience.
Opening the conference, Deborah France-Massin, Director of ACTEMP, said “The biggest challenge for EBMOs today is to prepare for and create value in a new policy and workplace environment. The relevance and value of EBMOs will depend on how visionary they are in assessing the global and domestic political and economic landscape, how strategic in choosing organizational priorities, and how innovative in maximizing available resources to serve members.” She added, “ACTEMP will provide a platform to promote strategic ideas and action to help enhance the value of EBMOs in a new and unpredictable environment.”
Roberto Suarez-Santos, Secretary General of the IOE, highlighted that, “Although the way we provide services, the way we communicate with our constituents and staff members changed and we are now in a situation of uncertainty, we have to stick to the values of our employers’ organizations defending business.”
Tom Hadley, who was invited as a resource person for the conference, talked about how EBMOs can take the lead in recovery. Sharing a few EBMO examples, he emphasized the role of business in supporting social cohesion and inclusive economies, and the opportunity for EBMOs to lead on the most important issues of our time while continuously improving their governance, their communication and their content, all while behaving ethically.
Mr. Jose Roland Moya, Director-General, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) shared ECOP’s experience and strategies towards digital transformation and organizational restructuring during the pandemic. Mr. Kameli Batiweti, Chief Executive Officer, Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) introduced FCEF’s rebranding activities and restructuring of the organization in respect to the role and function of sectoral councils and the management and operations of the organization.
In reaction to the presentations and reflecting on their own experiences, many participants engaged in an open discussion, highlighting innovative strategies, experiences and lessons that emerged and were learnt from the pandemic, as well as various examples of EBMO policies influencing the government.
ILO ACTEMP and IOE took an opportunity to introduce the tools and research products they have developed to help EBMOs effectively and efficiently respond to the COVID pandemic and enhance their capacity to provide services and engage in policy advocacy activities.
The IOE also updated the participants on the status of preparation for the 17th Asian regional Meeting which will be held in Singapore in December 2022.
This meeting is the first in the series of regional ILO ACTEMP/IOE online conferences under an umbrella theme of “EBMOs: Towards greater resilience, innovation and value.”
ILO/IOE Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Strategic and Innovative Approaches to Organizational Development and Management of Employers and Business Membership Organizations (EBMOs). The second regional conference will be held virtually in June 2022. The series will culminate in a face-to-face symposium on 5th December 2022 planned to be organized in conjunction with the 17th ILO Asia Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) which will take place on 6-9 December 2022 in Singapore.
For more information please contact
Tugschimeg Sanchir, Regional Desk Officer for Asia Pacific and Arab States, Bureau for Employers’ Activities, tugschimeg@ilo.org
Wade Bromley, Senior Specialist on Employer’s Activities in Bangkok, bromley@ilo.org
Dong Eung Lee, Senior Specialist on Employer’s Activities in Bangkok, leed@ilo.org
Ravi Peiris, Senior Specialist on Employer’s Activities in Bangkok, peiris@ilo.org
Rich discussions enabled the participants to better appreciate the issues and challenges facing their roles, functions and strategies in the context of recovery and resilience for the future. Experiences and lessons learnt were shared to promote the strategic rethink needed if EBMOs are to serve members in a new and unpredictable environment and invest in resilience.
Opening the conference, Deborah France-Massin, Director of ACTEMP, said “The biggest challenge for EBMOs today is to prepare for and create value in a new policy and workplace environment. The relevance and value of EBMOs will depend on how visionary they are in assessing the global and domestic political and economic landscape, how strategic in choosing organizational priorities, and how innovative in maximizing available resources to serve members.” She added, “ACTEMP will provide a platform to promote strategic ideas and action to help enhance the value of EBMOs in a new and unpredictable environment.”
Roberto Suarez-Santos, Secretary General of the IOE, highlighted that, “Although the way we provide services, the way we communicate with our constituents and staff members changed and we are now in a situation of uncertainty, we have to stick to the values of our employers’ organizations defending business.”
Tom Hadley, who was invited as a resource person for the conference, talked about how EBMOs can take the lead in recovery. Sharing a few EBMO examples, he emphasized the role of business in supporting social cohesion and inclusive economies, and the opportunity for EBMOs to lead on the most important issues of our time while continuously improving their governance, their communication and their content, all while behaving ethically.
Mr. Jose Roland Moya, Director-General, Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) shared ECOP’s experience and strategies towards digital transformation and organizational restructuring during the pandemic. Mr. Kameli Batiweti, Chief Executive Officer, Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) introduced FCEF’s rebranding activities and restructuring of the organization in respect to the role and function of sectoral councils and the management and operations of the organization.
In reaction to the presentations and reflecting on their own experiences, many participants engaged in an open discussion, highlighting innovative strategies, experiences and lessons that emerged and were learnt from the pandemic, as well as various examples of EBMO policies influencing the government.
ILO ACTEMP and IOE took an opportunity to introduce the tools and research products they have developed to help EBMOs effectively and efficiently respond to the COVID pandemic and enhance their capacity to provide services and engage in policy advocacy activities.
The IOE also updated the participants on the status of preparation for the 17th Asian regional Meeting which will be held in Singapore in December 2022.
This meeting is the first in the series of regional ILO ACTEMP/IOE online conferences under an umbrella theme of “EBMOs: Towards greater resilience, innovation and value.”
ILO/IOE Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Strategic and Innovative Approaches to Organizational Development and Management of Employers and Business Membership Organizations (EBMOs). The second regional conference will be held virtually in June 2022. The series will culminate in a face-to-face symposium on 5th December 2022 planned to be organized in conjunction with the 17th ILO Asia Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) which will take place on 6-9 December 2022 in Singapore.
For more information please contact
Tugschimeg Sanchir, Regional Desk Officer for Asia Pacific and Arab States, Bureau for Employers’ Activities, tugschimeg@ilo.org
Wade Bromley, Senior Specialist on Employer’s Activities in Bangkok, bromley@ilo.org
Dong Eung Lee, Senior Specialist on Employer’s Activities in Bangkok, leed@ilo.org
Ravi Peiris, Senior Specialist on Employer’s Activities in Bangkok, peiris@ilo.org