The project “Improving workers’ rights in rural sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a focus on women” is funded by the US Department of Labor (US DOL) and implemented as part of the ILO flagship programme Safety + Health for All. It seeks to improve and sustain decent working conditions in rural sectors in the Philippines and Indonesia, especially for women workers.

Rural workers in the Indo-Pacific produce several commodities, including key export products. The project focuses on selected sectors: banana plantations, tuna processing, and (gold and nickel) mining in the Philippines; palm oil and fish processing industries in Indonesia. Besides, a regional component fosters the exchange of knowledge and good practices among the countries.

Background

Poor employment conditions are widespread in the Indo-Pacific rural economy, including high informality, low wages, long working hours, unsafe working conditions, and violence and harassment at work. Moreover, women workers in rural sectors are engaged disproportionately in the informal economy.

Objectives

The project seeks to address systemic flaws identified as root causes of the persistent decent work deficit in the participating countries and sectors. Thus, interventions will aim at the following:

• Strengthening mechanisms and structures to support the implementation of national labour laws and policies (including labour inspection). 
• Increasing the capacity of institutions to promote labour law compliance.
• Enhancing the capacity of workers’ and employers’ organizations to promote labour standards, including occupational safety and health (OSH) for workers in the most vulnerable conditions.
• Promoting gender equality through the implementation of a gender mainstreaming strategy and specific activities.

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL‐35632-75-K. 100% of the total costs of the project is financed with federal funds, for a total of 5 million dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.