Phnom Penh, March 28, 2019 –Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen presided over here this morning the commemoration of the Centenary of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the 50th anniversary of Cambodia’s membership in this organisation.
This event took place at the Peace Palace with the participation from different stakeholders related to labour and social welfare.
At this event, Samdech Techo Hun Sen spoke highly of ILO’s support for the labour sector in the country.
Currently, ILO is one of the main development and technical partners of the Royal Government to improve the labour conditions and labour sector in the country.
Cambodia has became a member of ILO in 1969. Since the early 1990s, ILO has been an active partner in Cambodia’s economic, social and democratic recovery, playing an important role in helping to restore livelihoods, generate sustainable employment, rebuild infrastructure and set-up and strengthen democratic institutions.
Although the rate of poverty continues to decline in Cambodia, rural poverty remains obstinately high at 40 percent. Eighty-five percent of the population is in the informal economy, mostly in agriculture, forestry, and fishing and in small and micro-enterprises. The formal sectors of garments and tourism are the main engines of growth, with garment manufacturing accounting for 80 percent of Cambodia’s exports and employing more than 600,000 workers, mostly women.
Under some projects, especially the Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) is a unique programme managed by the ILO and supported by the government, trade unions and the industry employers’ association.
The ILO’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) provides the basis for the ILO’s contribution to the Government’s Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency and the National Strategic Development Framework. The DWCP addresses a wide range of issues, including skills and human resources development, youth and women’s employment, the informal economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), social protection, labour market governance, and industrial relations and social dialogue.
To strengthen the links between its standard-setting role and services and programmes for Cambodia’s people, the ILO runs a number of projects, funded by donors worldwide and in partnership with local actors.
By Khan Sophirom
