Media Advisory: 21 Asia-Pacific countries to discuss extending social security coverage Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi 19-20 May 2008
The recruitment process for Indonesian and Vietnamese migrant workers in the Republic of Korea will be discussed at two international meetings being organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Government of Korea. The two national workshops – one in Indonesia and one in Vietnam - will discuss ways of making the recruitment and selection processes used in Korea more efficient and transparent, and to find remedies to the problems Indonesian and Vietnamese workers commonly confront.
14 May 2008
NEW DELHI (ILO NEWS) –The International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, is hosting a high level tripartite Asia-Pacific meeting on Socially-Inclusive Strategies to Extend Social Security Coverage, in New Delhi . The two-day meeting, to be held at Vigyan Bhawan on 19-20 May 2008, will be opened by the Union Minister for Labour & Employment, Mr. Oscar Fernandes on Monday 19 May 2008 at 0930 hrs.
Asia-Pacific region. The aim of the conference is to identify a set of policy approaches that countries can use to pursue the effective and progressive extension of social security coverage, particularly to workers in the informal economy.
The ILO will be represented by Mr. Assane Diop, Executive Director, Social Protection Sector, Mr. Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Director, Employment Sector,and Ms. Sachiko Yamamoto, Regional Director, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, among others.
A number of international agencies closely concerned with social protection issues will be represented, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the International Social Security Association (ISSA).
The specific objectives of the meeting include: |
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In addition to a high level round table on the Extension of Social Protection and a panel discussion on XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work - World Summit on Safety and Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 29 June – 2 July 2008, thematic discussions on 20 May will centre around two topics, namely: Income Security and Strategies for Extension of Coverage Social Health and Protection: Strategies for Extension of Coverage. These panels will be followed by general discussion on the way forward.
Background
At the fourteenth Asian Regional Meeting of the ILO, held in Busan, Korea in 2006, the tripartite delegates – governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations – committed themselves to an Asian Decent Work Decade (2006- 2015). In doing so they reaffirmed their dedication to the overall goal of full, productive and decent employment for all, and specifically to implementing the priorities laid down in their national Decent Work Country Programmes, and to cooperate on specific regional initiatives where joint action and the sharing of knowledge and expertise would contribute to the realization of decent work. One of these priority areas is “extending the effectiveness and coverage of social protection for all, including workers in the informal economy”.
Media queries and requests for interviews with ILO representatives can be directed to:
- Ms. Sophy Fisher, Mobile +66 (0) 8989 50912 – email: fischer@ilo.org
- Ms. Neelam Agnihotri, Mobile 9810704633
- ILO Department of Communication, Office +4122 - 799 7912