IT IS imperative that the world of work must adapt and accord to the needs of women whom by themselves are undeniable principal contributors to and integral actors in the formal labour market, said Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong.
He made these comments in his plenary statement on June 5 attending the 107th International Labour Conference (ILC) from June 4-7 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Credit is also given to the Report of the Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) related to the Women at Work Initiative that highlighted the employment-related challenges faced by women today including balancing family and work responsibilities as well as access to affordable care, he said.
Also attending the conference were Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to Geneva Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Mahdi bin Pehin Orang Kaya Digadong Seri Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Abdul Rahman, Acting Commissioner of Labour and senior government officials from the Labour Department.
This year’s ILC, held from May 28 to June 8, discussed labour and employment issues related to the ILO cooperative framework in support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, the possible formulation of an international labour standard relating to violence and harassment against women and men in the world of work, as well as a recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of social dialogue and tripartism under the follow-up to the ILO’s 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization.
In his plenary statement to the conference, the minister also applauded the ILO’s support of the Vientiane Declaration on Transition from Informal Employment to Formal Employment towards Decent Work Promotion adopted by ASEAN Heads of State during the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane in 2016.
Prior to his plenary statement, the minister attended the ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Breakfast Meeting hosted by the Minister of Manpower of the Republic of Singapore at the Mandarin Oriental, Geneva.
At the 107th ILC, the minister also had bilateral discussions with Minister for Manpower of the Republic of Singapore Josephine Teo and Minister of
Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia Hanif Dhakiri. The ministers had mutually shared on the potential for future cooperative endeavours between their governments.
Brunei Darussalam has been a member state of the ILO since January 2007.