The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) have pledged to promote the creation of decent work in developing Asia and the Pacific in order to reduce poverty and vulnerability.
In a joint statement, ADB and ILO would cooperate through active knowledge sharing, joint research and analysis, policy development, advocacy, and technical cooperation.
The two organizations would focus cooperation on technical and vocational training, gender and the labor market, regional integration and employment, core labor standards, collection of employment data, country labor market diagnostics, and social protection systems. The ILO brings to this partnership its unique tripartite structure, which gives equal voice to workers, employers, and governments to ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labor standards and in shaping policies and programs.
Looking ahead, the ADB and the ILO have called for accelerated action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015. In addition, the ADB and the ILO will actively contribute to the shaping of a post-2015 global development framework that supports a more inclusive, equitable and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.
Both organizations have called upon the region to promote greater access to opportunities by expanding human capacities, especially for the disadvantaged, through investments in developing basic social protection floors and the social sectors.
Developing Asia has experienced impressive economic growth in recent decades, but the quality of jobs remains inadequate.
The ILO’s Asia-Pacific Labor Market Update showed that many people make their living in vulnerable and precarious forms of work, where incomes are low or unstable, and access to rights and benefits are very restricted particularly in the informal sector and for migrant workers.
Social protection coverage remains extremely limited, particularly for informal workers, the majority of whom are women.
Improving the skills of young people entering the labor force, and formalizing informal employment, would generate economic benefits, increase resilience in crisis, and reduce growing income inequality in the region, the ILO report added.

Source: Manila Bulletin- December 23, 2012