Bangladesh's labor reforms being positively assessed: ILO Director-General

He made this remark during a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister's Office in the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday (July 20).

At the beginning of the meeting, the ILO Director-General congratulated the Prime Minister on assuming office. He said that after a government elected by direct popular vote took office, the international community's confidence in Bangladesh has further strengthened. In this context, the ILO is keen to further strengthen its long-standing partnership with Bangladesh and will continue to work closely with the government for the development of the labor sector.

In response, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman thanked the ILO for its continued cooperation and said that the government is giving utmost importance to protecting workers' rights, ensuring a safe working environment, and implementing international labor standards. He reiterated the government's commitment to building a worker-friendly and sustainable working environment.

During the meeting, the ILO Director-General congratulated the Prime Minister on the election of Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman as the President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He described this achievement as an important recognition of Bangladesh's diplomatic capability and acceptability in the international arena. He also praised the government's various diplomatic successes in the international arena in a short time.

The discussion focused on workers' social security, skill development, increasing employment opportunities, and building skilled human resources to meet the demands of the changing global labor market. In addition, there was an exchange of views on the progress of the ready-made garment industry, workplace safety, the development of the informal labor market, and Bangladesh's achievements in implementing international labor standards.

The meeting emphasized strengthening cooperation to further advance the ongoing reform activities in the labor sector between the government and the ILO. At the same time, discussions were held on ensuring the rights and welfare of migrant workers, building a safe and orderly migration system, and working jointly to improve the skills of outgoing workers.

At the end of the meeting, the ILO Director-General expressed the commitment to further expand the organization's existing cooperation with Bangladesh and work together for the development of the labor sector.

At that time, Labor and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Prime Minister's Advisor on Labor and Employment Mahdi Amin, Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment Md. Abdur Rahman Tarafder, Director General (UN) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Md. Kamruzzaman, ILO Country Director in Bangladesh Max Tunon, and Senior Advisor to the ILO Director-General at ILO Headquarters Hitomi Nakagome were present.