Minister of Labour Ith Samheng addresses the 110th session of the International Conference on Labour in Switzerland on June 8. LABOUR MINISTRY
Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng supported the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) call for the world to take urgent action for the recovery of global labour force post Covid-19.
Samheng expressed his support as he led a ministry delegation to the 110th session of the ILO’s International Labour Conference, scheduled to run from June 6-12 in Geneva, Switzerland.
“On behalf of the government of Cambodia, I support this call for action to be taken on a post-Covid-19 recovery that focuses on inclusive, sustainable and resilient core human resources that will contribute to achieving the common goal of the 2030 Agenda of the UN for Sustainable Development and the ILO’s historic mandate to achieve social justice for all,” he said.
Samheng added that he also supported the recommendations made by ILO director-general Guy Ryder in a report entitled “Crisis of restructuring and future of Work” and the content of the draft report on “Decent work and solidarity”.
The minster added that for Cambodia, the ILO was an important development partner through many ongoing project implementations, including “Better Factory” roles in contributing to promoting working condition in Cambodia and especially the textile, garment and footwear factories in Cambodia.
“Cambodia has been implementing the five stages of the decent work project since 2005. The fifth stage, 2019-2023, was organised at the same time as the 50th anniversary of Cambodia’s membership in the ILO,” he said.
Samheng added that the government strongly expected that via ILO’s principles – which focus on tripartite mechanisms and social dialogue – current challenges would be solved and the ILO’s mission to promote decent and productive work for everyone would be achieved.
He also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the ILO, which has continued to contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Cambodia, as well as other member countries, through the launch of programmes aimed at promoting social justice and decent work for workers effectively.
Ryder said in his opening remarks that this year’s sitting would be a predominantly virtual event. Following the cancellation of the 2020 conference and last year’s complications, is described the 110th session as a major step forward.
“It is good, I think, that recurrent discussions this year are about the strategic objectives of employment – and focused in particular on a new generation of comprehensive employment policies,” he said.
