Asian countries to discuss social security

The high-level meeting on 'Socially Inclusive Strategies to Extend Social Security Coverage' will be attended by representatives from the government, workers and employers from these countries.

The two-day meeting from May 19 is being organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with the Union Labour Ministry.

"The aim of the meeting is to identify a set of policy approaches that countries can use to pursue the effective and progressive extension of social security coverage, particularly to workers in the informal economy," an ILO spokesman said.

The meeting will share knowledge and experience regarding strategies and mechanisms for the extension of social security. It will also seek to identify good practices and encourage initiatives and responses to emerging challenges.

International agencies closely associated with social protection issues like World Health Organisation, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Development Programme, European Commission, ASEAN, SAARC and the International Social Security Association will attend the meet.

At the Asian Regional Meeting of the ILO held in 2006, delegates representing government, employers and employees had committed themselves to an Asian Decent Work Decade (2006-2015).

In doing so, they had reaffirmed their dedication to the overall goal of full, productive and decent employment for all, and specifically to implementing the priorities laid down in their national Decent Work Country Programmes. They had also decided to cooperate on special regional initiatives where joint action and sharing of knowledge and expertise would contribute to the realisation of decent work.