In the wake of several violent garment-factory protests last week, the International Labour Office yesterday launched a five-year, US$5 million Decent Work Country Program in Cambodia to focus on improving industrial relations.

“[This] marks the beginning of a new body of work for the ILO in Cambodia, one that we hope will be more targeted, more collaborative and producing more impact than before,” Jiyuan Wang, director of the ILO Country Office for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR is quoted as saying in an ILO press release.

He adds that the initial focus will be on improved labour relations and promoting the “use of dialogue” to reach agreement on workplace issues.

Another priority of the program will be jobs creation, particularly for youths and vulnerable groups.