SUVA(ILO News) - Issues facing the Pacific Island Countries concerning growth, employment and decent work will be examined at a three-day international meeting being organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Nadi , Fiji .

The “Tripartite Technical Meeting on Decent Work: Pacific Island Countries” is expected to bring together about 40 participants from nine countries – Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. International organizations will also be represented, including the Pacific Islands Forum, the South Pacific Regional Office, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the World Bank, the European Commission and a number of UN agencies.

The meeting will provide a platform to discuss the specific challenges and common issues facing the Pacific Island Countries, including how to provide their people with secure, productive and sustainable livelihoods that meet their aspirations. Delegates will discuss growth, employment and decent work scenarios up to 2015 and identify key issues related to the achievement to the UN Millennium Goals. Other major themes will include creating an enabling environment for employment-rich growth and decent work, promoting inclusive development and regional cooperation, and strengthening labour market institutions, dialogue and governance.

A report, “Labour market scenarios for the Asian Decent Work Decade in the Pacific Island Countries”, has been prepared as background for the discussions. It presents the key economic and labour market trends in those Pacific countries that are ILO members, as well as the main issues facing policy makers in promoting decent and productive employment.  Other background documents will evaluate recent country programmes and donor priorities.

The conference is being held as a follow-up to the ILO’s Fourteenth Asian Regional Meeting (AsRM) held in Busan, Republic of Korea , in 2006. At that conference delegates launched an Asian Decent Work Decade (2006-2015) and committed themselves to specific goals related to the achievement of Decent Work for All in the region. The Fiji meeting builds on the AsRM’s conclusions and will consider the specific challenges facing the Pacific Island countries. It will also provide an opportunity for promoting dialogue and strengthening tripartism (the equal participation and representation of governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations).

Each national delegation will include representatives of the Government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, in accordance with the ILO’s unique tripartite structure.  Also attending will be representatives of think tanks and academia, regional and international organizations, donors and other concerned agencies.

The three-day meeting will be held from Monday 26^th November to Wednesday 28^th at theSofitel Fiji, Nadi , Fiji .

For more information please contact:

Peter Blumel,
Media Information Assistant,
ILO Suva
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Off: +679 331 3866 
Fax: +679 330 0248

MinetteRimando,
Senior Communication Assistant,
SROManilla
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Off: +632 580 9905
Fax: +632 580 9999

Sophy Fisher,
Regional Information Officer,
RO- Bangkok
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Fax: +662 288 3062