Photo caption: 11 April 2019, New York – Ms. Kira Christianne D. Azucena, Chargé ď affaires, a.i. and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, enumerated government measures to showcase initiatives promoting decent work and protecting the rights and welfare of Filipino workers at home and overseas. END

11 April 2019, New York – At the High-Level event to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Ms. Kira Christianne D. Azucena, Chargé ď affaires, a.i. and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, underlined that “in addressing the emerging challenges in the future of work, the Philippines focuses on promoting decent work while also protecting the rights and welfare of Filipino workers at home and overseas.”

To showcase such approach, CDA Azucena enumerated some government measures, namely, the Green Jobs Act of 2016, which provides a policy framework for fostering low-carbon, resilient and sustainable growth and decent job creation by providing incentives to enterprises generating green jobs; the Telecommuting Act that allows a private sector employee to work from an alternative workplace through telecommunication and/or compute technologies; the Occupational Safety Health Law that mandates employers’ strict compliance to workplace safety standards; the Expanded Maternity Leave law that grants working mothers in both government and private sector 105 days of paid maternity leave credits, with 7 days transferable to fathers, and an additional 15 days paid leave grant to single mothers;  and the Handbook for OFWs Act of 2018 that requires the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to publish and distribute handbooks to overseas Filipino workers containing their rights and responsibilities.

Recognizing youth as a driving force of economic growth, CDA Azucena also informed the meeting of the two years added to the basic education program to prepare students to join the workforce and highlighted the new technical-vocational livelihood track and its specializations that teach youth technical skills to ensure productive employment responsive to the needs of the community. She also cited the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act that provides free tuition and other school fees in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions, and the JobStart Philippines Act that aims to assist at-risk youth through enhancing their technical skills and knowledge, providing them internship opportunities to shorten school-to-work transition.

The High-Level Commemoration of the 100^th anniversary and the Future of Decent Work was organized by H.E. Mrs. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the General Assembly. More than 50 Member States shared their best practices, concrete solutions and recommendations in shaping the future of work with decent work for all.

Ms. Sharon Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Mr. Erol Kiresepi, President of the International Organization of Employers; and Ms. Jolly Amatya, Secretariat of the UN Major Group on Children and Youth also addressed the General Assembly. END