Together, we can realise promise of decent jobs for all: Hasina at ILO summit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has emphasised working together to create decent jobs for all across the world in order to better rebuild economies in the post-pandemic recovery.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 8 July 2020, 01:12 PM
Updated : 8 July 2020, 01:12 PM

She was addressing the International Labour Organization Virtual Global Summit on COVID-19 and the World of Work via video message on Wednesday.

“The promise of decent jobs for all seems hard to realise individually, but I am convinced that together, we can do it,” she said.

It is the largest ever online gathering of workers, employers and governments to discuss the coronavirus crisis and ways to overcome it, the ILO said in a statement.

Global heads of state, as well as prominent employers’ and trade union leaders have also taken part in the two-day discussions. State Minister of Labour and Employment Monnujan Sufian will address the audience on behalf of Bangladesh on Thursday.

Speaking on the Global Leaders’ Day, Hasina thanked the ILO for hosting the summit and for all its support during the pandemic which she described as a “full-fledged global economic and social crisis”.

Leaders from over 80 nations, as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres and chiefs of other UN and international agencies also addressed the summit via video messages.

Participants will discuss how to address the economic and social impact of the pandemic, which has laid bare the extreme vulnerability of millions of workers and enterprises.

In a six-minute video address, Hasina documented how the country’s readymade garment sector was hardest hit, losing billions of dollars of export orders and how millions of workers, across many industries, lost their jobs.

“When the crisis began to unfold, we immediately announced a $12.1 billion stimulus package for various sectors of our economy, as well as support to different segments of our society,” she said.

She outlined a number of emergency stimulus and social protection measures initiated by her government. These include about $1 billion for paying the wages of RMG workers and cash and other incentives to over 50 million people who lost their daily income during the pandemic.

The prime minister shared the plight of millions of Bangladeshi migrant workers and the devastating impact job losses are having on remittances in the country.

The World Bank predicts that Bangladesh will lose more than 20 percent of its remittance earnings, equivalent to $4 billion, this year alone.

She ended her address by urging global leaders, international financial institutions, the UN and civil society to converge around the ILO’s Centenary Declaration and collectively build a better world.

Tuomo Poutiainen, the ILO Country Director for Bangladesh expressed his appreciation for the way in which the government, employers and workers’ organisations have worked together to tackle the safe return to work, unemployment and business challenges brought on by COVID-19.

“While addressing the numerous challenges we all face today, it is important that we continue working together for the future in developing robust social protection schemes and investing in skilling and jobs programmes for youth, women and others in vulnerable situations,” Poutiainen said.

The Global Summit examined a range of issues, including:

How to promote full and productive employment in this new environment.

What needs to be done to address the massive vulnerabilities in the world of work made evident by the pandemic.

Which workers require particular support and attention.

How to position the reduction and elimination of poverty as central objectives of the recovery process.

How the international community can come together with real common purpose and rededicate itself to the delivery of the UN’s 2030 Agenda.

Labour ministers, workers’ and employers’ leaders from ILO member states will reflect on Wednesday’s events and discuss the implementation of the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work in the context of the pandemic on Thursday.