KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The 25th ASEAN Labor Ministers' Meeting and its Related Conferences that concluded last Nov. 29 have adopted three outcome documents: the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting Green Jobs for Equity and Inclusive Growth of ASEAN Community, the Action Plan to implement the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, and the List of ASEAN-OSHNET initiatives to implement the ASEAN Labor Minister's Statement on improving Occupational Safety and Health for Sustainable Economic Growth.
The theme chosen for this year is Promoting Green Jobs for Equity and Inclusive Growth of ASEAN Community.
Human Resource Minister of Malaysia, M. Kula Segaran, who chaired the two-day meeting, said all three documents were unanimously agreed on by all Labor Ministers from all ASEAN member states and the bloc’s Plus Three Dialogue Partners -- China, Japan, and South Korea.
"Promoting Green Jobs will include producing decent employment opportunities, enhancing resource efficiency, and creating low-carbon societies. This is a very good achievement, and a win-win for ASEAN and Malaysia," he told a press conference after the meeting was closed by Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Kula said an action plan to implement the creation of avenues for policy formulation and governance at the regional level in promoting and creating Green Jobs and Green Skills will be worked out soon. Malaysia, as chair of the ASEAN Labor Ministers, will spearhead this action plan.
The ASEAN labor sector should enhance the capability of its workforce by attracting more skilled workers, in particular, those relating to green jobs, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said.
She noted that the promotion of green jobs would include the creation of decent employment opportunities, enhancement of resource efficiency, and the production of low-carbon societies.
It is also crucial for ASEAN to engage governments, trade unions, and employers' associations to strengthen social protection and to improve occupational safety and health at the workplace, which supports the commitments in the Action Plan to implement the ASEAN Consensus and the List of ASEAN-OSHNET initiatives.
For more information, parties may contact Selvarah Ramasamy Abdullah at telephone no. 03-8886 5041, email [email protected], and the International Division of the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia. (Bernama-AsiaNet)
