ILO marks 50-years of engagement with Pacific Island countries

© ILO

© ILO

Nadi, Fiji (ILO News) – Fifty years after establishing its presence in the Pacific, ILO remains committed to working with governments, employers, and workers to advance Decent Work and Social Justice in the region. On 1 September 2025, a commemorative event marking the 50th anniversary of the ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries was held in Nadi, Fiji. The Office itself has been headquartered in Suva since its opening in 1975.

Speaking at the event, Fiji’s Prime Minister, Honourable Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka welcomed the ILO’s long-standing role in supporting Fiji and the Pacific, saying: “ ILO’s principle of tripartism, bringing together governments, employers, and workers, has been the foundation of resilient and inclusive development in the Pacific.”

“Over the past five decades, the ILO has stood with Pacific peoples, supporting skills development programmes, legal reforms, social protection, and workplace safety,” he said. “That legacy gives us the confidence to face today’s challenges — climate change, digital disruption, and labour mobility — not in isolation, but through collective and coordinated action.”

ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Kaori Nakamura-Osaka reflected on the Organization’s achievements and future priorities. “For fifty years, governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations in the Pacific have worked hand in hand with the ILO through social dialogue and tripartism. This enduring partnership has advanced Decent Work and Social Justice and remains vital for the region’s future,” she said.

Over the past five decades, the ILO has supported Pacific Island countries in modernizing labour laws, strengthening social protection, advancing gender equality, promoting fair recruitment for seasonal workers and seafarers, and improving workplace safety. It has also helped expand technical and vocational training, aligning skills with labour market needs.

© ILO

© ILO

Looking ahead, Ms. Nakamura-Osaka highlighted the urgency of tackling challenges such as climate change, youth unemployment, informality, gender inequality, and labour mobility – priorities that align with the region’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. “As we commemorate this milestone, the ILO renews its commitment to working with Pacific governments, workers and employers to ensure no island and no worker is left behind. Through our continued collaboration, we aim to contribute meaningfully to the region’s long-term development aspirations and uphold the values of social justice and inclusive growth,” she said.

The ILO Pacific Anniversary event was held in Nadi, bringing together regional leaders, employers, workers, and development partners from across the Pacific. It was followed by the inaugural Pacific Regional Tripartite Employment Conference, organized and hosted by the Fiji Government.

The ILO Country Office for Pacific Island Countries supports work in 22 Pacific Island countries, 11 of which are ILO Member States (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu). It provides a range of technical services, expertise and assistance to the ILO’s constituents – governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations that support decent work throughout the Pacific.