Namaskar,

Honourable Minister, Mr Gangwar; Respected Secretary, Mr Samariya; Additional DG Mr Pati from the Department of Posts; Madam Prasad, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment;

Our most valued social partners; officials from Ministry of Labour and Employment; Mr Moussa Oumarou, Deputy Director-General, ILO; representatives from line ministries; academia; UN officials; our bilateral and multilateral partners, ladies and gentlemen! It is my privilege to propose a vote of thanks on this august occasion.

The International Labour Organisation, together with the entire fraternity in India committed to promoting Decent Work in India, extends a very hearty vote of thanks to all the speakers for gracing the ILO centenary celebration organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Thanks for having shared your perspectives on the 100 years of ILO - India’s fruitful partnership! Your guiding voices underline its importance and inspire us to further accelerate our efforts in securing social justice and lasting peace in India.

Our social partners, representing employers and workers, lie at the core of ILO’s foundation. Without their presence, the ILO does not exist. Their success and endeavours make us stand where we are today and this event is a celebration of their achievements and reflection upon the challenges ahead. I thank them for their dedication.

I congratulate India, as this celebration is a symbol of the country’s efforts in striving to uphold the values of social justice, in the face of a rapidly changing world of work. India’s endeavour to find an equilibrium to its quest for economic development with social and environmental goals has drawn intense attention worldwide, and while all eyes are on the country’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, I wish to state that our constituents would remain the key engine driving this, due to the centrality of SDG 8 on Decent Work. It calls for integrated and multi-stakeholder engagement, a strength that ILO enjoys in India due to the trust the country has bestowed on it in these 100 years, and which goes beyond its core constituents, to relevant line ministries, academia, Civil Society Organisations and others. I take the opportunity to thank each of them and express my deep appreciation for the enriching engagement the ILO cherishes.
 

Over the century, ILO’s technical cooperation with India has evolved and been strengthened with the support of our sister UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral partners. I thank them for their continued dedication towards echoing and advancing ILO efforts in promoting Decent Work in the country.

India is a member of the ILO Governing Body and the contributions made by the worker and employer members from India in these 100 years are well recognised. I thank all past and present Governing Body members from India for their relentless support and commitment to the ILO mandate. I must also thank, the present and past colleagues in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, workers’ and employers’ organisations, and my own colleagues from the ILO Office in India, whose contributions have nurtured and shaped this relationship between India and the ILO, to reach this level of mutual trust and cooperation.
 
Well, an event like this cannot happen overnight. The wheels started rolling weeks ago. It requires planning and a birds eye view for details, I would like to take this opportunity to place on record our hearty thanks to Joint Secretary, Mr. R.K. Gupta and his team in the Ministry of Labour and Employment for the perfect execution of this event, including the wonderful festive decoration of the room. A special thanks also to officials in the Postal Department, Ministry of Communication, without whose support the design and timely release of the ILO stamp would not have been possible.

I cannot thank everyone enough for their contribution in scripting the ILO - India 100-year journey, and your willingness to engage with the ILO for a new century ahead. We all have the responsibility to uphold the agenda of ‘Human Centred’ development as called for in the ILO constituents’ Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, endorsed by the UN General Assembly last September. I am sure that constituents and people of India will play a crucial role in achieving it.
I thank one and for all!

Thank you.