Latest news with #MaritimeLabourConvention
Business Recorder
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PM's message on Labour Day
ISLAMABAD: Today, as the nation observes Labour Day, Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering commitment to promoting safe, healthy, and dignified conditions for its workers — the real driving force behind our nation's growth and resilience. The protection of fundamental labour rights is enshrined in our Constitution and fully aligns with the International Labour Organization's (ILO) core conventions, to which Pakistan is a responsible signatory. In pursuit of these ideals, Pakistan has taken significant legislative and administrative reforms to further strengthen workers' protections. We have ratified key international labour conventions, including the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention and the Maritime Labour Convention, while advancing new commitments on occupational safety and health. For the first time, every worker in Pakistan benefits from a National Occupational Safety and Health Profile, ensuring safer, healthier workplaces across the country. Our government has taken important steps to broaden the coverage and impact of institutions such as the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF), ensuring that the fruits of our labour protections are shared more equitably across all segments of the workforce. Through digitization and labour law reforms, we are building a future where every worker has access to dignity, safety, and opportunity. At the same time, skill development initiatives, particularly through the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs), are being expanded, with a special focus on empowering youth and women with demand-driven vocational training. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Daily News Egypt
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Egyptian Foreign Minister meets with IOM, ILO, ITU heads in Geneva
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with the heads of three United Nations agencies in Geneva on Monday, discussing issues ranging from migration management to digital transformation and labour standards. His meetings included sessions with Amy Pope, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM); Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO); and Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). During his meeting with Pope, Abdelatty expressed Egypt's appreciation for its longstanding cooperation with the IOM on comprehensive migration management and sustainable development, aligning with the Global Compact for Migration. He outlined Egypt's holistic migration strategy, addressing both security and developmental aspects and focusing on the root causes of irregular migration. He highlighted Egypt's concerns about the deteriorating political and humanitarian situations in neighbouring countries, exacerbated by conflict, political crises, and climate change, leading to increased displacement and migration flows into Egypt. 'Egypt hosts over 9 million migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers,' Minister Abdelatty noted, emphasising the strain on the national budget and host communities due to the inadequacy of international support. He reiterated Egypt's call for intensified international efforts to ensure fair and sustainable burden-sharing and responsibility-sharing, urging the IOM to support Egypt in managing migrant influxes and bolstering its migration management efforts. He also reviewed Egypt's ongoing efforts to combat irregular migration and human trafficking, in line with its national strategy, and discussed joint cooperation to support early recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip, reaffirming Egypt's rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians and underscoring UNRWA's crucial mandate. Minister Abdelatty's meeting with Houngbo focused on Egypt's development efforts and collaboration with the ILO. He commended the excellent cooperation between Egypt and the ILO, highlighting the Cairo office's role in implementing various projects. He expressed Egypt's desire to strengthen this cooperation to support employment, decent work, and improve the working environment, attracting investments and aligning with Egypt's Vision 2030. The minister reviewed positive developments in Egypt's labour environment, including the establishment of over 50 new trade unions last year and efforts to finalise a draft law on domestic workers. He reiterated Egypt's commitment to promoting international labour standards, citing the recent ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention and expressing a desire to utilise the ILO's technical support in implementing its obligations. Finally, Minister Abdelatty met with Bogdan-Martin, praising the longstanding relationship between Egypt and the ITU and the Cairo office's role in implementing joint projects. He affirmed Egypt's active participation in ITU mechanisms and activities, including its Council membership, and expressed a desire to expand cooperation in line with Egypt's Vision 2030 and its digital strategy. He reviewed Egypt's efforts in implementing its digital strategy, including building a digital economy, developing digital infrastructure, and promoting digital transformation, as well as digitising government services and supporting technological innovation and entrepreneurship. He noted the government's belief in the vital role of the information and communications technology sector in attracting investment and encouraging global companies to expand in Egypt. The meeting also addressed artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, with Minister Abdelatty expressing Egypt's desire to cooperate with the ITU to maximise the benefits of AI applications and find innovative solutions to societal challenges. He highlighted the establishment of the National Council for Artificial Intelligence in 2019, the launch of the national AI strategy in 2021, and the forthcoming launch of its second version.
