Director General International Labor Organization(ILO), A Gilbert F. Houngbo, stated that he was pleased to learn that the three ILO constituents, Government, Workers, and Employers are united in ensuring compliance of International Labor and Environmental Standards in Pakistan.
Speaking with the Pakistani delegation on side-lines of the Asia Pacific Regional Meeting in Singapore, Houngbo said that compliance would enable Pakistan to attain the SDG Goals and would also support Pakistan’s case for continuation of the EU GSP Plus status from 2024.
“All three constituents must ensure that there is no Child Labor, Bonded Labor or Forced Labor. Moreover, he emphasized on the importance of social dialogue and appreciated the EFP’s initiative of promoting bipartisan and social dialogue through WEBCOP, he added.
Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President, Employers’ Federation of Pakistan(EFP), gave an assurance that EFP is fully committed to ensure compliance of all Labor Laws and Standards. EFP is working in harmony with Federal and Provincial Labor Ministries. He also invited the DG to visit Pakistan. The DG gladly accepted the invitation and said that he would surely visit.
The Pakistani delegation was led by Haider Zulfiqar, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development(MOPHRD), and comprised of Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President Employers’ Federation of Pakistan(EFP), Fasihul Karim Siddiqi, Senior Advisor EFP, Malik Zahoor Awan, Senior Leader Pakistan Workers Federation, Zulfiquar Khan, Secretary World Wildlife Fund, and Junaid Afzal, SO MOPHRD. The DG ILO was assisted by Deborah France-Massin, Director ILO Bureau for Employers Activities and other ILO officials.