Decent Work

Opening address at the Decent Work Country Diagnostics Tripartite-plus Validation Workshop

By Mr Khalid Hassan, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the Decent Work Country Diagnostics Tripartite-plus Validation Workshop

Statement | Manila, Philippines | 21 March 2017
  • Assistant Secretary Avila and officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE),
  • Distinguished officials and partners from the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society organizations, academe and development partners,
  • Ladies and gentlemen, good morning to all of you!
Welcome to this tripartite-plus validation workshop on the Decent Work Country Diagnostics. The voice of our constituents – government, workers and employers as well as partners and stakeholders in the Philippines matter.

I appreciate much your support to make this consultation possible and to see tripartism in action to achieve sustainable development through decent work.

The importance of decent work in achieving sustainable development is highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, specifically Goal 8 which aims to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”.

More so it is important to understand that decent work is not just a goal –it reflects peoples aspirations for a better life and it is also a driver of change to reduce poverty towards a more inclusive and sustainable growth that benefits society.

Promoting full and productive employment, extending social protection, guaranteeing rights at work and ensuring social dialogue are key pillars of decent work. All of these are crucial to pave a pathway for fair and just societies that reach those that are most vulnerable and are left behind.

This also brings us to the Future of Work challenge. The Future of Work discussions has been ongoing in different parts of the world and will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

Understanding the current labour market conditions, implications and challenges, including policies and institutions are key to equip all of us on what needs to be done. In addition, this will help us in setting key priorities and working together to reach our common goal of decent work for all Filipinos.

For the past year, the ILO in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment has developed the Decent Work Country Diagnostics report. We are the first in Asia to undertake this initiative and we have received positive responses on how this can be a model for good practice in the region.

The Decent Work Country Diagnostics aims to provide a well-informed and comprehensive narrative of the growth, productive employment and decent work situation and trends of the country.

This report is very timely as it can serve as input to the Future of Work discussions, the development of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), and the Common Country Assessments (CCA) of the United Nations Development Action Framework (UNDAF), as well as feed into the national development discourse and provide information for national development plans and strategies.

The process started in 2015, at the onset of the discussion of the SDG indicators, through dialogue with our constituents to map and to update decent work indicators, as well as to develop the analysis framework.

The draft report went through review of ILO experts and specialists and is now ready to be presented to the constituents for validation.

The draft , which will be discussed today will provide the opportunity for our tripartite-plus constituents to give inputs to the issues and problems presented in the report. The validation will also help identify sectoral and common priorities and recommendations.

National tripartite ownership of this report is essential to provide a substantial analysis on key decent work challenges in the country, as basis for capacity building of constituents and other key stakeholders.

With that said, it is my hope that we will continue to work more closely towards further shaping and implementing the Decent Work Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals in the Philippines.

Your continued support towards the development of the Decent Work Country Programme and the UNDAF is also vital.

Let me acknowledge joint efforts of the ILO and the DOLE to make this initiative possible. I would also like to thank each of you for joining us today, to share your expertise, to express your views and to validate the report.

Finally, I look forward to the productive and rich discussions from this workshop.

Thank you!