Workshop on Promoting Decent Work in Global Supply Chains

Chinese investors are emerging as increasingly influential actors in the global market. Since China adopted the “Going out” policy in the year of 2000, Chinese firms have gradually acquired assets and expanded business operations abroad. China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) outflow experienced a dramatic increase over the past decade, the flow grew by more than nine folds from US$12 billion to US$128 billion between 2005 and 2015. The FDI outflow from China accounted for one third of that of the developing world in 2015. As China is playing a bigger role in the global supply chains (GSCs), controversies over their social impacts on host countries have grown.

In April 2016, the ILO together with UNIDO organized a workshop on Decent Work (the MNE Declaration) and Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in GSCs. It was the first time that ILO organized such a workshop on GSCs gathering constituents and the private sector. A follow-up Workshop on Promoting Decent Work in GSCs was proposed to be organized in November 2016 aiming to deepen the discussions on GSCs. The workshop will add one particular session on the mining industry since China’s rapid economic development leads to a soaring resource demand and thus requires outbound mining investment to provide resources support.

The workshop is co-organized by the ILO and China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemical Importers & Exporters (CCCMC). At the event, CCCMC will also launch their Sustainability in Chinese Outward Mining Investment Project - Sustainable Mining Action Plan (SCOMI-SMAP) project jointly with its partners.